Lord and Satyr
by ChocolateRedVelvet
Summary: Hadrian James Potter was the last thing Theo Nott wanted, but they are exactly what the other needs. Theo wanted nothing to do with either side of the magical war and planned to disappear after school. Nothing planned goes well where a Potter is involved
1. Chapter 1

**Caution**: This is the writer's first draft.

**Rating**: Adult

**Pairing**: Hadrian/Theodore

**Warnings** (for this and later chapters): m/m, slash, language, toys, adult games, male pregnancy

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

* * *

Chapter One

The First Time…

Harry James Potter stared after the young blond boy who just stepped off the stool beside him. He didn't know whether to be angry or horrified. The other boy reminded him all too much of the kids he went to school with, the children who claimed to come from good homes and be good people but treated him horribly because of the clothes he wore or some stupidity his cousin made up. He hated them. They claimed to be better than him but they weren't smart enough to see through Dudley's stupid lies. They were all talk, no substance.

The blond appeared to be just like them, thinking that because Harry dressed or looked a certain way he had the right to judge him. "Idiot," he muttered. And what was that stuff about houses. Slytherin this, slytherin that. It was almost as bad as Hagrid's talk about Gryffindor.

"Ignore Malfoy. He can't help himself."

Harry turned slightly, Madam Malkin was still kneeling at his feet and she was armed with sharp needles, and regarded the boy who spoke. He was standing on another stool, just a few feet to the right of where Harry stood. The boy had light brown hair, almost the color of honey, and gangly long arms and legs. Harry was nowhere as tall as him. Harry mentally pouted. Everyone was taller than him.

What the hell? Where his parents dwarves? Did dwarves actually exist? He knew goblins did as they went to the bank first and they were rather short beings.

"You're finished here, Mr. Nott."

The now identified Nott gave the seamstress helping him a small smile before jumping down from the stool. He strode over to stand to the right of Harry. "My name is Theodore Silenus Nott." He held out a hand.

Harry glanced at Madam Malkin. She huffed and then lifted her hand. A few twirls of her wand and he could move his arm without being pinned to death. He took the boy's hand and shook it. "Harry James Potter."

"Hadrian," Theodore replied.

"Huh?" was Harry's intelligent response.

Theodore gave him a smile similar to the one he gave the seamstress but this one was more mischievous. Harry recognized the signs from watching his cousin, but where Dudley's fat face smiling made him nervous, this made him excited. He got the feeling that Theodore's mischievous smile was dangerous, but not to Harry.

"Your birth name is Hadrian. You should not allow people but family and friends to call you anything as personal as a nickname. It allows them to treat you a certain way and that is not a good thing."

His name was Hadrian? He remembered all the times his aunt complained that Harry was a very boring name and perfect for a very boring child who was nothing like her precious Dudley. Though he had to wonder how he could be a freak, an abomination, and boring. Did she know his name was actually Hadrian and hid it from him like everything else about who and what he was?

Harry made a decision then to stop believing anything the fat man or long-necked woman told him. They were liars of the highest sort.

Hadrian James Potter. Harry considered it for a minute. He wanted friends. He had none. But he didn't want people to treat him like the Dursleys' or the people in Little Whinging did. He came to a decision then. Hadrian was a chance to be a new person. Harry was, well, a freak that the Dursely were forced to keep. Hadrian never was and never would be.

"Hadrian James Potter."

"Nice to meet you, Hadrian. As I was saying ignore Malfoy. He and his family give all Slytherins a bad name."

"You're a slytherin?"

Theodore shook his head. "No, I'm going to be a first year, just like you and Malfoy. I will probably be a slytherin though. I was raised by a family of snakes," he said with a chuckle.

"I was raised by …normal…well, muggles."

"Then you have an equal chance of being in the other three houses, but you'll probably be in Gryffindor, just like your parents."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked, surprised by Theodore's knowledge. Hagrid told him a little about his family, but he figured he knew that stuff because he was a friend of the family. Nott couldn't be.

"I read it of course. There are whole books about your family and you, the Boy Who Lived. Most of them are absolute rubbish, but the ones that aren't written for star-gazed girls and boys are pretty interesting." Theodore considered him for a moment and Harry could feel the weight of his gaze on him as though it was a livable thing. "I strongly recommend that you check out the books on you and your family at Flourish and Botts. Also, you should ask all the store owner's for the Twist special with your orders."

"The twist special?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yes, the Twist Special. Everyone in your position is recommended it. I'm surprised the teacher sent with you didn't ask Madam Malkin for it already. You need it. Trust me on this, Potter."

Harry didn't know why he trusted Theodore's words, but he did and so he asked Malkin for the Twist Special. Her face screwed off in surprise and more than a little anger. Then it cleared. "Of course, my Lord," she replied. Then she turned and caught the eye of one of her subordinates and shouted of some orders for her. Harry didn't know what she added to his purchased because she used numbers and odd terms so he was very surprised when his final order was large enough to take up the whole counter.

"This, Mr. Potter, is the Twist Special." Then Madame Malkin began to explain just what the special entailed.

It seemed that over half a century ago, a muggleborn student was killed one summer by some "healer" his conservative family sent him to go see. The investigation in his murder revealed that the boy could have been saved from his horrendous death if he had a few protections. Every item ordered as part of the Twist Special came with certain charms, including, but not limited to, notice me not, muggle repelling, anti-fire, and anti-theft. Malkin's Twist Special including a full wardrobe in both muggle and wizard clothing, at no extra cost.

Hadrian guessed it was paid for by some fund.

Hadrian made sure to get the Twist Special on all of his stuff. He even went back to the stores he already visited to get Twist charms on the items he ordered before. He now had an apartment trunk, clothes and shoes, books, and a pet his relatives couldn't see, let alone touch. Honestly, why hadn't Hagrid ordered this for him? He knew all too well just how horrible his relatives could be.

Theodore Nott was long gone when Hadrian learned about the Twist special so he couldn't thank him. Hadrian decided then and there to trust Theodore's every word, after all, the other boy was the only one beside Hagrid to notice he wasn't being treated right by his relatives, and even then he'd done more for Harry than Hagrid did. After all, Theodore gave him a way to escape his relatives even when he was forced to stay in their house.

* * *

Theo left while Madam Malkin was explaining the extras a Twist Special came with from her store. He hoped Hadrian Potter had the good sense to ask all the shop owners for the Twist Special.

He still couldn't believe a professor was irresponsible enough not to make the demand for Hadrian himself.

It was probably a little imprudent of him to bring attention to himself after what happened with Malfoy, but he couldn't help it. The Malfoys, the Blacks, and the Flints were some of the worst slytherins to ever enter Hogwarts. They didn't understand the meaning of cunning and drive. Ambition and pride were their best friends but they rarely employed tools that allowed them to reach the tops of Great Britain's political sphere without bring the worst kind of attention to themselves.

Cunning meant not allowing the whole world to know what and whom you've done over to get to the top. Malfoy was just exhibiting the talents his parents instilled in him. Honestly, what sense did it make for Malfoy to preach about his blood views in the middle of Malkin's store where anybody could hear and without any idea to whom he was talking. It wasn't the kind of thing done in polite company, let alone public.

Hadrian James Potter.

Of all the people it had to be him. Potter was the second most powerful person in Great Britain, maybe the world if he was being totally objective. Potter's name meant something, almost as much as Dumbledore's did and for the same reason. They both defeated a notorious Dark Lord.

And Malfoy was doing his damned best to alienate Potter from purebloods and slytherins. There was no telling the long-term repercussions of such foolish boasting. Theodore couldn't allow Potter to walk out of that shop thinking all British wizards were like Malfoy. He also couldn't keep his mouth shut when he saw another child was being abused by muggles.

He hoped Potter forget him. It wouldn't do for the boy to seek him out. Theodore believed in cunning in the strictest sense of the word. He longed for and needed the shadows and Potter's life would be defined by the masses. He only needed to see Dumbledore's life to know what lay in Potter's future.

The sun was shining brightly and Theodore's robes weren't nearly as light as they should be. He moved to the side and into an alley. A quick glanced proved he was alone. He took a moment to open his robes at the neck and tie up his hair before he cast a cooling charm. He wasn't so foolish as to use the wand Ollivander gave him. Everyone with any sense in wizarding Britain knew Ollivanders wands were all made according to Hogwarts and ministry standards and both required trackers that showed if someone underage was using it during the summer or in a muggle heavy area.

No, his wand once belonged to one of his ancestors. Theodore didn't even pretend to know which one. His father was all about his heritage but he treated their relics like rubbish. Theodore found the wand in an old cherry wood box that was practically falling apart when he was forced to clear his father's gathering room by muggle means as punishment.

It was his father's favored punishment as he felt his pureblood sons would be horrified by the very thought of cleaning by hand. Their large manor fairly sparkled at noon because of Theodore. If only he knew just how much Theodore learned about his family, heritage, and himself during these punishments. It would surely clue his father into the reason for his disgusting inability to cast a dark curse properly.

He slipped the wand back into the sheath on his knee high boots, released his hair and redid the buttons on his robe. Then he stepped back onto the road and continued until he made his way to the Leaky Cauldron. He kept his gaze ahead and didn't meet anyone's eyes. He also walked at a normal pace. Wizards and witches never noticed anything and they especially wouldn't notice a little boy walking in and out of the Cauldron. Muggleborns walked in and out often.

Theodore made it through the Cauldron and out onto the muggle streets without any problem. He hailed a cab the first chance he got. Five minutes later he reached his destination.

According to the muggle records he was an emancipated orphan. His pureblood family didn't exist in the muggle world and his money, withdrawn from his trust account and converted into muggle cash, and his maturity, along with a damned good attorney was enough to grant him the emancipation.

He walked into the building and up to the young man who sat at the desk at the main entrance to the firm. "How may I help you, sir?" he asked politely despite Theodore's obvious youth. This was one of the things he loved about working with his solicitor and barrister. The others he hired hadn't lasted long because they kept treating him like a child who didn't know what he wanted or needed.

"Morning, my name is Theodore Nott and I have an eleven am appointment with Wes Barnes."

He checked the register and confirmed Theodore's appointment. "I'll just let Mr. Barnes know you've arrived. Please take a seat sir. Someone will be here momentarily to show you the way."

Theodore went and took a seat in one of the lush, fabric covered seats to the side of the man's table. He wasn't sitting long before an attractive brunet woman called his name. She led him down a familiar hallway. "Would you like something to eat or drink? We have croissants, muffins, and scones. For drink we have apple juice, orange juice, milk, and an assortment of teas."

He shook his head. "No, thank you." Theodore ate a hearty breakfast this morning. One of the benefits of house-elves. He grabbed a glossy covered magazine targeted toward muggle women and flipped through. He never read any of the stuff laid out for casual perusal before so he was very surprised by the layout and content. It was very interesting and gave him many ideas. They also made him blush brightly. The things these women wrote and read about in public. He learned quite a bit about the female and male body then.

"Mr. Nott?"

He jerked like he was caught stealing. He coughed and settled himself before lifting his head to find Mr. Barnes watching him with amused eyes. "Hello, Wes," he called with a smile as he stood. He placed the magazine back and strongly considered acquiring a subscription.

"Ready to sign the papers?" Barnes asked once Theodore was standing next to him.

He nodded. "Yes. I just want this purchase to be over."

They walked in silence. Barnes opened the door and Theodore stepped in. The seller, an old man with leather-worn skin and thin, silver hair was startled by Theodore's identity. He obviously wasn't expecting Mr. Theodore Nott to be an eleven-year child.

Theodore ignored his curious looks and took a seat. He went through this before. This was his third land purchase. By the end of the hour Theodore Silenus Nott would be the owner of over 100 square miles of land in Northern Territory, Australia.

No matter what happened Theodore Nott had somewhere to go after graduation to escape the light and dark side of wizarding Britain.

* * *

AN: There you go. That's my view of Theodore Nott. I gave him a middle name and it means something for this Nott, as opposed to other fan writer's version. I hope you liked him and my Hadrian. I also hope you give this characterization a chance. This story started as a self-challenge for me. I wanted to write a number of things:

A truly cunning slytherin who sticks to the shadows and doesn't need praise or worship.

A fairly normal Hadrian who is not perfect or the leader of the light or dark.

An independent side that is actually independent.

So, tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Caution**: This is the writer's first draft.

**Rating**: Adult

**Pairing**: Hadrian/Theodore

**Warnings** (for this and later chapters): m/m, slash, language, toys, adult games, male pregnancy

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

* * *

Chapter Two

To the Durselys We Go… or Don't

Hadrian James Potter was angry with himself. He felt so foolish and trusting for believing his friends when they told him to go to the Headmaster and tell Dumbledore he didn't want to return to his horrid relatives.

The old man made some placating comments about family and discipline and understanding without really saying anything at all, or at least nothing that Hadrian understood. He simply accepted his statements and walked out of the room confused, angry, and dejected. The one thing he knew was that he had to return to his relatives.

The people who treated him so badly he needed to ask for a Twist special.

Hadrian sighed and then grabbed the extra books he received from the magical bookstore and turned to the section that dealt with magical law affecting children. After five minutes he found that nothing there would help him.

Rules, regulations, and laws on a child's status in the normal world would be honored in the magical world. That wasn't helpful since Hadrian was a ward of the Dursely family and didn't want the magical world to acknowledge it. He also didn't think he could qualify for emancipation in the muggle world.

Emancipation. He looked through book for anything on that and found it happened magically when at least two bodies recognized the individual as an adult of age or automatically when the person became seventeen or if they were the last of their family, when they became fifteen.

Harry groaned. He still had four more years of the hellish Dursleys.

The most disheartening part was that the magical world didn't have such things as child abuse. Parents owned children and could do anything they wanted to them. It was the first thing he looked up the day he got the book. He supposed the rule wasn't so bad when you considered that most parents probably loved their children. Still, he couldn't help wondering how many of his classmates were suffering because their parents "owned" them and they could never do anything about it.

He threw the book away from him disgusted and angry. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He yelled as he stomped around the room. "Stupid Dumbledore. Idiot Hermione. Stupid Ron. Telling me to go so see the headmaster. Don't worry, Harry, Dumbledore is the greatest ever. He'll fix those stupid muggles for you. Liars." Unbidden Hadrian felt the first of tears gathering in his eyes.

He loved Hogwarts so much and was so happy here. He didn't understand why he couldn't stay. Honestly, why would he need to return to people who hurt him and made him feel like a freak every chance they got?

"I think I deserve a little vacation from those people. I saved the Philosopher's Stone from Quirell and Voldemort, but no, Dumbledore tells me I have to return to the Durselys. They are my family." He snorted. Yeah, right. To be family you had to both believe that and he sincerely doubted that Petunia, Vernon and Dudley thought of him as family.

Freak, yes. Family, no.

And he didn't think of them as family.

"I don't want to go back to the Dursley house," he screamed.

"Uh, then don't."

Hadrian whipped around at the sound of the soft, confused voice. He found himself staring into whiskey colored eyes. The boy had shoulder length honey-brown hair, light brown eyes and milk white skin. Theodore Nott.

Hadrian shouldn't have been surprised but he was. He looked for Nott all year to thank the other first year for telling him about the Twist special but every time he looked out for him he seemed to come up empty handed. He knew he was in Slytherin House. He watched as Nott was sorted, but after that day he seemed to be impossible to find. He clung to the shadows like a bat. He wasn't around when most other slytherins were and only could be found in the Great Hall and Hadrian wasn't about to walk over to him there and thank him. In less than three seconds the whole school would know "The Great Harry Potter" was an abused child who needed the Twist special.

So Hadrian waited and bided his time. If there was one thing the Durselys taught him, it was patience. He would be willing to wait forever to thank Nott for what he did for him.

It seemed he didn't have to outlast eternity.

"Nott, hi." He felt stupid the moment the words were out of his mouth. It wasn't the best opening ever or even the one he planned.

"Hello, Potter," he said. A small, amused smile upturned his wide, lush mouth.

"I just wanted to say thanks of telling me about the Twist special and, uh, not telling anyone I needed it."

"Of course, Potter. You are always welcome to any aid I can give you."

"Thanks, Nott."

"You may call me, Theodore when we are alone. I wouldn't recommend you call me by my first name amongst the populous."

It took Hadrian a moment to figure out what Nott was saying. He talked like the smartest adult he knew, which considering the Dursleys' acquaintances might not be much of a compliment. To be honest, he talked like he was smarter than Hermione or maybe it was worldlier. He noticed that many of Hogwarts spoke that way.

It was almost pompous but nothing like Malfoy.

Maybe it was a wizard thing.

"Well, then you can call me Hadrian. No more of this Potter stuff," Hadrian said with a smile. He now knew exactly what this change in identification meant. Along with the Twist books came a small pamphlet that included information wizardborn or muggle born students needed to know to adapt to both worlds. He figured someone out there realized that the kids who needed the Twist special might want to be able to leave their home "world" and go to the other to get away from the people who abused him or her.

Hadrian was already making plans to make the wizarding world his home once he could leave the Dursleys. With that in mind he was determined to find out all he could about just how wizards and witches lived. They had all kinds of rules he never expected. It was like the wizarding world was another country despite them all living within Great Britain's borders. Once Hadrian realized that he decided to look at wizards and witches that way.

It helped a lot. It stopped him from getting so irritated at the things they did that was very different from normal means. Like quills versus pens and pencils.

He pretended wizards were a country that didn't have plastic and so couldn't use pens and didn't like to cut down trees to make pencils. He tried to get Hermione to see things that way but she said it was all rubbish and pureblood propaganda. He thought it was more akin to getting mad at the French for speaking French when you went to visit the Eiffel tower. Not that he'd ever gone there. _That _family never took him anywhere. They loved to pretend he simply didn't exist.

But he remembered the Dursleys' being very angry about the French people's supposed rudeness. _How dare they not speak English? The way they pretended to not understand us was just horrible!_ He thought the whole thing was absolutely rubbish and the last thing he wanted to do was become anything like the Dursely family.

He wanted to be as different as possible to them.

"Wait! Why can't I call you Theodore in front of everyone else?" He lowered his head and fingered his sleeve. "Don't you want people to know we are friends?"

Theodore sighed. "Yes, but not for the reasons your thinking. Whether you like it or not, you're a very powerful person with a lot of eyes on him. Unlike Granger and Weasley, I prefer the quiet life."

Unlike Granger and Weasley …

"You say that as if they like everybody watching them."

"Don't they?" Theodore retorted. "Granger is not the only smart person in Hogwarts but every single time a question is asked, she is the first with her hand up. I may be wrong but I believe its because she wants everyone to know that she knows the answer."

"You're just mad because she's smart and shows up the purebloods!" Hadrian replied angrily.

Theodore arched one brown eyebrow in consideration. "Am I really? Do you know that there is not one single Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff who puts his hand up for every question? And contrary to popular opinion the person with the highest grades this year is not in Gryffindor. The top ten people of our year are not in Gryffindor."

"It's not Hermione?" _The top ten people of our year are not in Gryffindor_

"No. It's Hannah Abbot."

"How do you know that? The year just ended. You're lying."

Theodore's expression changed instantly. All emotion dropped from his face but his eyes burned with anger. "Never, ever accuse me of lying. I don't." He stood and strode toward the door.

"I'm sorry," Hadrian yelled, afraid to lose his newest and most fragile friendship. He was acting so stupid. For all he knew Nott was telling the truth. After all just cause Hermione was the smartest person he knew didn't make her the most intelligent in the world.

There was no one who hated to be called a liar more than Hadrian, except apparently Theodore. The few times he tried to tell his teachers about how he was really treated at the Durselys', they almost all called him a liar. They never saw his bruises or tattered clothing. They only heard Petunia's lies.

"Theodore…Nott, I really am sorry. You're not a liar. I don't even know why I called you that. I –

Nott turned on a half step and interrupted his rambling. "You're forgiven."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Hadrian." So proper.

Silence descended between them. Hadrian didn't know what to say. He didn't want to disturb the fragile balance they reestablished. Then he remembered what Theodore said to begin with. "Wait? What do you mean I shouldn't go back to the Dursley's? Where else can I go? Dumbledore says I have to return to my relatives."

Theodore shrugged. It was a deceptively simple and delicate act. Hadrian's gaze tightened. "Dumbledore is the headmaster. He cannot force you back. He can tell you to return and probably made it seem like you have no choice or that he'd be very disappointed in you, at least that's what I hear he likes to do, but he can't make you do anything once you're off school grounds. Technically once you get off the train you can go anywhere you want. Hypothetically, you can exchange some of your galleons for muggle money and rent a room in the muggle world. No one would know. His governship only extends to the magical world."

Hadrian smiled thinking upon the galleons upon galleons he had in his trust vault. "Let's just say someone wanted to get from muggle London to Gringotts, how would this make believe person do it?"

Theodore gave him a wide, wicked smile. "Why, he would of course ride the Knight Bus." Theodore then proceeded to explain how the bus worked and where this fake person would get off.

* * *

Hadrian released a breath he didn't realize he was holding when Hermione and her parents left. The Grangers decided to wait for him until the Dursleys arrived when it became clear they were late. Hadrian had to work extra hard to convince them to continue on their way, and that he was perfectly fine waiting for his relatives. He even lied and said his uncle warned Hadrian that he might be late because he was coming from an important business meeting he couldn't reschedule.

Though Hermoine looked at him a little too closely, her parents bought his tale and left. He waited ten minutes to make sure they were gone before grabbing his trunk and activating the charm on it to shrink it and put it in his pocket. Then he walked to a corner at the back of the wizard only platform and took off his school robe. He wore normal summer clothes underneath and these were not his cousin's castoffs. No more rags for him. He took out his trunk and resized it so he could put his robe inside. Once done, he reactivated the charm so it could fit in his front pockets and strode out of the corner and off the platform. He walked around the station until he found someplace a little sketchy but isolated and pulled out his wand. He stared at it for a moment wondering exactly what he was supposed to do. Theodore said he just held it out and waited.

He wasn't waiting long. There was a loud bang and then a big double Decker bus was in front of him. Hadrian jumped at the sound and tripped over his feet to fall on the ground. The door opened with a second, less loud bang. A tall, gangly pimpled teen stood in the doorway. He peered down at Hadrian from his thick, coke bottle glasses. "Hey you! What are you doing down there?" he asked in surprise and irritation.

"Looking for change," Hadrian replied tersely. "What do you think I'm doing down here?"

The teen straightened and sniffed. "I don't know that's exactly why I'm asking."

Hadrian shook his head, stood and dusted himself off. "I guess this is the Knight bus?"

"Of course it is. What else could it be?"

Hadrian bit back the retort waiting on his tongue. He was not about to get into an argument or even snide discussion with the guy who had to power to let him on the bus. "Right. Uh, I'm going to Gringotts. How much?"

"With or without ice cream?"

Hadrian considered it for a moment before declining. He'd rather buy his own sweets. Thank you very much.

"We drop you off at Vertical Road. That will be eight sickles even."

Hadrian dug into his front pocket and pulled out the requested funds. Then the teen stepped aside. "Welcome to Knight's Bus."

He climbed into the bus. "Thanks."

Hadrian hadn't taken more than two steps when the vehicle took off. It moved faster than any vehicle he'd ever been inside and moved like no other. It jumped curbs, ran on the sides of buildings and stopped so quickly, Hadrian found himself gripping a seat in order to keep some semblance of balance. He wasn't all that successful. By the time he reached his destination, Hadrian was mentally and physically exhausted. He was also very bruised. He'd also prayed about a dozen times to a God he wasn't sure existed until he experienced the Knight Bus.

He stumbled out of the vehicle, ignoring the "have a great day," the conductor called after him.

Hadrian was so jumbled up by the ride it took him a few moments to figure out where he was and then why. He wasn't standing in front of the dingy and kind of familiar Leaky Cauldron. Instead he was in front of some kind second hand shop that sold an assortment of jewelry, clothing, and furniture. He glanced around wondering just what the heck was going on. That was when he noticed it. No one of the people walking down the street looked at the shop. Some stopped at the shops on either side of the second hand one, but no one even glanced at the one in front of him. "Just like the Leaky Cauldron."

Feeling a little brightened by that, Hadrian strode up to the shop and opened the door. It was much bigger on the inside than the out. "Wow."

It had gleaming pieces of antique jewelry, pristine articles of gently used clothing, and handcrafted furniture that once belonged to another. It was like nothing Hadrian ever saw before. He desperately wanted to walk around but knew he couldn't. He had a task to complete. He was also afraid of being spotted.

He hated how famous he was. He also couldn't understand just how everyone in the wizarding world or at least Britain knew how he looked. It was another thing he placed on his list of questions he needed to answer. With a sigh he walked through the store looking for the entrance to Diagon Alley. He could feel eyes on him. He tried to ignore them. He had experience living on Privet Drive and his first year in Hogwarts. But it got to be too much. He turned and found curious brown eyes on him.

"Can I help you, love?"

The eyes belonged to tall, dark skinned woman with a smile on her face. Her hair was long and thick. It wove around her face almost like a midnight halo. She was both taller and wider than his aunt. She wasn't fat, but he wouldn't call her skinny. She wore a simple floor length orange gown with capped sleeves. She had two bright green crystal necklaces, one a shade darker than the other, and both glittered brightly. She was the most interesting adult he'd ever seen, including Dumbledore. The headmaster looked like a wizard. She looked like an actress or musician. Someone he'd normally never meet.

Her gaze roamed over his face and then stopped at his forehead. He blanched, remembering he'd forgotten to put his hat on. Her eyes lifted off his forehead to look behind him. He turned automatically to see what she was looking at. There was nothing back there.

"You're here alone, aren't you?" she asked, mouth twisted into a grimace.

"Uh, yeah," he answered as he tried and failed not to squirm.

She sighed. "Come here, Mr. Potter. I'm guessing you don't have a hat on you, do you? Or anything else to cover up that scar of yours. Unless, of course you want to be recognized?"

He shook his head. "No. Uh, no I don't have a hat. Was going to buy one at the train station but I, uh, forgot, and I don't want to be recognized."

She nodded. "Understandable. Come here, piglet. I'm sure I've got something around here that will fit in with that lovely outfit of yours." Then she turned spun around and walked from around the counter. The click of her shoes across the floor caught his attention. Hadrian's eyes widened at the height of her heels. They were the kind of shoes his aunt always admired whenever she saw them. His gaze slowly lifted. The rest of her outfit matched the shoes. Every inch of her voluptuous figure screamed fashion, class and money.

She stopped at a table that held hats, glasses, and an assortment of other items he didn't recognize. She looked down and caught him staring. Hadrian flushed. She grinned, flashing even white teeth with a gap in the middle. "Like what you see, young man?" she asked with a flirtatious smile.

Hadrian's flush deepened. "Uh, you're very pretty and you look really nice," he admitted.

Her smile widened. "Thank you, young man. I must say you look very nice yourself. My name is Antoinette Adelu." She held out her hand. He accepted it. She shook his hand for a few seconds before releasing him. "Now, come on piglet. Let's get you something to hide that pesky scar." With that she turned back to the display. There were hats of all colors there and many different fabrics. She simply stared at the dresser top for a moment before reaching into the pile and picking one hat.

It was perfect. He loved it at first glimpse. It was a black fedora with a navy blue satin trim. It was the kind of hat he saw in movies he snuck out to watch when the Dursleys' weren't home. "How much?"

"For you, Mr. Potter? Nothing. And don't worry. I won't be telling anyone about your little detour."

"Why not?" He felt embarrassment creep across his cheeks the moment the words were out of his mouth. He couldn't believe he allowed his curiosity to get the best of him like that. The Dursleys beat out the desire to talk before thinking long ago but lately he found himself forgetting those lessons.

She gave him an understanding smile. "Because when I look at you I see a child. Nothing more."

Hadrian was stumped for a moment. He'd only been exposed to the wizarding world for a year, but one thing became very clear from the moment he stepped into it. Everyone saw him as the Boy-Who-Lived initially. Hermoine. Ron. The teachers. His dorm mates. He worked to show them he was just Hadrian, but few saw past that even after all he did. "Thank you, Ms. Adelu."

"You are very welcome, Mr. Potter. Now, might I inquire where you're headed? This entryway is not the preferred and might lead you a little further away from your destination."

He hadn't thought about that. He was too focused on actually getting to Diagon Alley to wonder the wheres and whys. "Uh, Gringotts."

She chuckled. "You are in luck, Mr. Potter. Gringotts is right next door to my little place. Just walk out the back and to the left." She held out an arm. Hadrian couldn't help grinning up at her as he accepted her arm and placed it in his.

She led the way through the shop until they reached a brightly painted door. Alice and the Cheshire Cat where sitting drinking tea from the handle down and at the top in bold letters were the words, "Welcome to Wonderland."

"Wow!" he gasped.

"Thank you. I'm pretty proud of the effect. Tried my hardest. I petitioned to have my little place be the first stop for the muggleborn tour and did this in the hopes that it would be move the decision in my favor. It didn't," she finished with a shrug.

He looked up at her dismayed by the disappointment in her voice. "Sorry."

She patted his shoulder. "No worries, piglet. Everything happens for a reason and I really should have known better. I am a half-blood after all."

Hadrian didn't know what to say to that so he kept quiet.

"Enough of that. Now, let's get you to Gringotts." She turned her head and called over her shoulder, "Hilary, dear. I'm going to Gringotts for a minute."

Another female voice called back, "Got it!"

"Will you do me the honors, my dear Mr. Potter?"

He glanced up at her in confusion. She gestured to the door. He grinned and grabbed the handle, twisting it. He was so excited. The last time he visited the Diagon Alley Hagrid knocked on the bricks and revealed a whole new world to him. Something only seen in dreams. This time he was opening the door himself.

He pulled it and couldn't help the gasp that escaped his mouth when he saw what was behind it. It wasn't Diagon Alley and for that very reason it was a thousand times more beautiful. There were shops upon shops upon shops. He saw a dressmaker, a shoemaker and even another truck shop. He saw what looked like a medical clinic and a furniture store and an apothecary.

Wide eyed, he walked down the road with Ms. Adelu, taking everything in. All too soon they were in front of Gringotts. "I'll leave you here, piglet. Feel free to stop by my place when you need something. Even if something I don't sell," she said with a smile. "I will. Thank you, Ms. Adelu."

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter. Have a nice day."

He watched her walk away for a minute feeling a little bereaved. She was so very nice. He wondered why Hagrid didn't come in through her store. It would have saved him the horror of having all those witches and wizards trying to touch him and shake his hands.

Then he remembered himself and got on line to see the goblins.

"Key?" The goblin asked tersely. He asked Hagrid for them after the large man took him shopping. After all it was the key to his trust. Hadrian handed him his keys quickly. Everything he read warned that goblins took the saying, 'time is money' very strongly and got very angry when others wasted their most precious resource.

The goblin glared at him for a moment before looking down at the key. "Potter?"

"Yes." Hadrian nodded.

"Withdraw?"

"Yes, and accounting."

"Hmm." The teller murmured then called something in another language. Hadrian guessed it was his native tongue. Another goblin came from the shadows to stand beside the teller. They conversed shortly and then the second goblin looked at Hadrian. "Meet me at the end of the teller counter. I will take you down to your vaults and can answer any question you have on your finances."

"Thank you, sir." He turned to the teller and thanked him too. He didn't know if there was a proper or wrong way to speak to the goblins but figured it was best to be polite no matter what. He walked past the rest of the tellers to the spot where he was supposed to meet the other goblin. He was waiting for Hadrian. "Come now."

The goblin lead the way through simple stone carved hallways broken up by gleaming wooden doors. He stopped in front of one and opened it. "Enter."

Hadrian did. There was a large wooden desk in the middle of the room. There was a large comfy appearing chair behind it and two much less comfortable chairs in front. Cabinets and bookcases lined the sidewalls. The cases were filled with leathery tones that would look at home in Hogwarts.

"Take a seat," the goblin said and then walked around the room. He opened a few cabinets and pulled out some items before moving to the desk to take his seat. He opened one of the biggest tomes and flipped the pages until he reached the end. "Mr. Potter you asked for an accounting, is that right?"

"Yes," Hadrian replied, feeling a little parched from his nervousness.

"You have exactly 20,493 galleons in your trust fund. This is enough money to pay for the next six years of your schooling at Hogwarts and pay for your personal items." He paused and peered at Hadrian. "That is if you are prudent. Hogwarts costs approximately 2,750 galleons a year for someone such as yourself."

"Myself?" Hadrian asked a little dumbly.

"Half-blood. You pay less than a pureblood and a muggleborn pays even less than you."

"Oh."

"You have six more years for a total cost of 16,500 galleons. There is more than enough left to cover books and any other reasonable supplies. I strongly suggest you do not go out and purchase a gold cauldron or the most expensive broom on the market."

"Okay." He cleared his throat. "That's my trust account. Do I have access to any other accounts?"

"There are your family vaults. You have two. As you are the last in your line and over 11 years of age you have access to both without any limits. One is purely for storage purposes. The other holds coins. Which would you like to hear about first?"

"Uh, the one with coins." Money was his biggest problem at the moment. He could wait to find out what items his parents placed for him in storage. If he didn't have enough money to live on his own he would be forced to go back to the Dursley's and it really wouldn't matter what his family had in storage. He wasn't taking anything but the basics to that damned house.

"You have 18, 374 galleons in the vault."

Hadrian blinked at the number. He'd done a little research on his family and the Potters were an old, prestigious family. He pictured himself having heaps of galleons waiting for him. "Exactly how much is that?"

The goblin sighed. "In muggle terms or wizarding living expense terms?"

Hadrian swallowed thickly. "Both?"

"Assuming you totally left the wizarding world and converting every last galleon to British pounds, you would have 183, 740 pounds. One galleon equals ten pounds. In wizarding living expense terms, it would be depend entirely on how you lived. Assuming you lived in one of your family properties and didn't need to pay for any upkeep or renovation, which is a false assumption, it would be enough for four to five years of living expenses. As you are a half-blood, the smart way to go would be to straddle the lines and make your money stretch. There is no telling really how long the funds can last. It depends entirely on you and your individual needs. Simply put you can not rely upon it for the rest of your long life."

"Sir, please don't take offense, but I was lead to believe that the Potters had more money than that."

"They did at one point."

"When and what happened?"

The goblin grumbled for a moment. "Normally, I would not be relaying this information but the short answer is your parents happened, specifically, your mother. She was not very good with money and neither parent was good with investments. Unfortunately for both you and your parents, your father left your mother in charge of the household income thinking she would be better at it than him. They quickly ran through everything and the estate tax upon their death took the rest."

Hadrian stared wide-eyed at the goblin feeling like he was punched in the gut. His parents, specifically his mother, blew everything away and his father let her. "Sir, may I have a copy of the Potter vault transactions for the ten years preceding my parent's death and every year since then?"

"You may but it will cost a fee," he replied with a toothy grin.

"How much is this fee?"

"A galleon a year."

"A knut," Hadrian countered. The Twist books were very clear that only a fool accepted a goblin's first offer.

"Half a galleon for each year."

"A knut and a half."

They continued that way until they reached a sickle per year. It was a price both parties could live with. "Now, let us continue. This is the list of items in the storage vault." He pushed a long parchment of toward Hadrian. "These are what remains of the Potter properties."

Hadrian took both sheets. "I'm the only one with access to them, right? I mean since I'm the last Potter."

"I would not know I am not a real estate goblin or wizard. I am a banker, but my guess is that all the properties are empty and you have the only access to them." He flipped back a few sheets in the tome in front of him. "According to this no one should have access to the property but you. Though this might not be all inclusive. If your family didn't come to the bank to notify us about any changes made we will, of course, not know about the alteration."

Hadrian nodded his head. That seemed reasonable. "Are any of these properties in the normal world?"

"Muggle, you mean?"

"Yes." Hadrian almost rolled his eyes at his words. Wizards hid from everyone else and acted like everyone else was the abnormal one. He supposed, like all things, it was a matter of perspective.

"Yes, there are two properties. One your father purchased when he graduated Hogwarts and wanted something to call his own. It is an apartment. Technically it's a wizarding apartment in a muggle building as magic was heavily used inside it. The other property available is entirely muggle and located in Surrey."

Hadrian's breathing stopped. No, it couldn't be possible. He forced himself to continue breathing. Wouldn't do to pass out during their meeting. "Is it located on Privet Drive?"

The goblin glanced down. "Yes."

"Number 4?"

"Yes."

"Are the people living there paying rent?"

One long, spidery finger moved down the page. "No." He frowned. "There were supposed to be paying and had been until sometime in 1983. There are no reasons why stated."

"Uh, exactly how much should the renters have been paying?"

"In 1983, the amount would be 950 pounds and it would increase a hundred pounds every three years."

"For a total of?" Hadrian leaned forward and asked. He couldn't believe this stuff. The Dursleys' were living in his mother's house and hadn't paid a cent for it for like ever. Actually now that Hadrian thought about it they hadn't paid for it since the year after Hadrian was dropped off on their doorstep.

"114, 300 pounds."

Hadrian almost fell out of his seat. That was a lot of money. Even more considering how little he had. He wasn't beggar poor. Heck, he wasn't even really poor but it definitely wasn't what he was expecting when he read all those books on the great families of Wizarding England. There were many benefits to having an invisibility cloak. There were so many things in the Restricted Section, stuff that didn't really seem worth restricted but was interesting as hell. Like books on different kinds of magic, breeding and power, and family lines and gifts.

"Is there anyway I can get back the…lost rent?"

"Hmm. Yes. With interest. The bank will handle this for a small fee." Hadrian did a mental dance. That was over 11,000 galleons he could add to his account. He would need that after he finished Hogwarts.

"How much is your fee?"

"For this a measly five percent."

"One."

"Three."

"Two and half."

"Deal," the goblin replied. He flipped a few pages and read for a bit. Hadrian tried not to squirm at the silence.

The goblin looked up. "That has concluded the meeting. I have provided you with all the information you requested, however there is another issue that I believe would benefit you greatly if you took steps to correct the situation."

"What is it?"

The goblin gave him a sharp grin. Literally. "No goblin gained information is free, Mr. Potter. Let's talk payment."

"Okay," Hadrian replied slowly. He was more than a little nervous and confused. He didn't know if he was going to be taken for a ride but he was willing to try. So far the meeting had been great. He had a place to go in the normal world and in time, would gain back rent from _that _family.

"Ten percent."

Hadrian's eyes widened. That was twice the start of the last haggling session. This was either very good or bad advice. Unfortunately, he had no one to ask whether he should enter the transaction. He decided to roll the dice. "Two percent."

The goblin grinned and it was twice as broad and a thousand times more frightening. "Nine."

Hadrian swallowed thickly. "Three."

He closed the book, pushed it to the side and leaned forward. "Eight and a half."

Hadrian started sweating. "Three and a quarter."

The goblin leaned back. "Four percent and not a knut less. Trust me, Mr. Potter my institution will make money, but you will make more."

Hadrian believed him. He was probably an idiot for that but he did. "Three and a half."

"We have a deal." He waved his hand a sheet of parchment drifted off one of the bookcases and onto the table. He grabbed a stamp from his desktop and did something to it before flipping open an inch pad and pressing it against it. "Three and a half." Then the stamped the sheet.

He grabbed two quills and handed Hadrian one. "This is a blood quill. As this is a legal document, we must sign using it. It will cause momentary pain as your signature will be in your blood."

"That is… cool."

The goblin chuckled. "I suppose for an eleven year it is…. cool."

The goblin signed and then handed the parchment to him. Hadrian read it over. Everything was there including a little bit regarding just what information he purchased. It seemed this was about something called Boy-Who-Lived book series. Hadrian's gut dropped.

Knowing it was going to hurt and wanting to know exactly why there was a series of books named after him, Hadrian signed his name quickly. The goblin snatched the contract from the tabletop and looked it over. Then he did something with his hands and the contract glowed for a moment. Hadrian arched an eyebrow in surprise and question. "This bit of information is free. I just sealed the contract against change. Magic is an incredible thing but too many people use it to change things after the fact. I strongly suggest, considering who you are, that you seal anything you put your name on. There are many people who would do anything for a Harry Potter signature." He sneered the last part and Hadrian almost did the same. He knew exactly what the goblin was speaking of. Three different classmates asked him for a signature his first day of classes. He hadn't signed anything. They walked away angry and hurt. Hadrian couldn't understand why.

Who would want his signature? Well, except for crazy witches and wizards. He made a promise to himself to seal everything he wrote then. Even his homework. No telling what even the teachers were doing with it.

"Mr. Potter you may not be aware of this, but there is a long standing and extensive set of fictional books about you."

Hadrian swallowed the bile that rose at that. Christ, he thought Ron was joking with him when he said his little sister read about him every night. He wondered how many of his classmates did. "Okay," he said mouth dry.

"You may not also know this but every book purchased gainers you a royalty rate of 22% percent of the cover price."

Hadrian's eyes widened. "That's a lot. Isn't it?"

"Yes. It's unusually high but it's an exclusive right. No other publisher has the right to write any stories about you."

"Oh." That was good to know and did explain things. Hadrian didn't like to admit and actively tried to forget it but it was becoming very clear that he was the wizarding world equivalent of Prince Charles or Paul McCartney. "Wait! So if I'm getting 22% of every book sold why do I have so few galleons. Or did the books not sell." Maybe he only had a few die-hard fans who were willing to hear about him. He didn't know whether he was happy or angry about that thought.

"None of the funds are actually going to you."

"Huh?" Hadrian said intelligently.

"Your guardian signed a contract donating all funds received from the books somewhere else. I cannot tell you where. Only the publisher knows and they've been bound by secrecy."

"Is that legal?"

"Normally, yes."

"However, you have two guardians and neither one signed the contract. So the contract is not legal and the company most likely knows."

"Who is my other guardian? I'm guessing Petunia Dursely is one."

"Yes, she is, but not magical so she couldn't sign a magical contract and well, Dragon Pen Books only publishes magical books. Your other guardian is Sirius Black and he could not have signed the contract."

Hadrian got the distinct feeling he was going to ask something he shouldn't but he wanted answers. There were too many questions as it was. "Uh, why not?"

"He's incarcerated."

"Oh." Well, that was straight to the point. He guessed people in magical jail couldn't sign contracts. He didn't even know if people in normal jails could enter into contracts. He would have to research that.

"I recommend you contact a great magical law firm and ask them about receiving representation for unpaid royalties. Demand interest and punitary damages."

"Uh…"

The goblin sighed and grabbed a short sheet of bright yellow paper, a post-it, and wrote his message down. "Here."

Hadrian took the note and couldn't help staring at it. A grinding chuckle made him whip his head up and stare at the goblin in surprise and a little bit of fear. "Though we may be considered primitive beasts by you wizards we know a great invention when we see it."

"True."

"Come, little wizard. I will show you the back way out."

* * *

Theodore waited until the summer vacation was two days in before he left Nott manor. His father was through being a "concerned parent" then. Apparently forty-eight hours around his youngest son was more than enough time after six months of absence. Theodore was just glad the whole affair was over. He was tired of casting the Unforgivables on animals until he satisfied his father's notion of perfection.

With a sigh Theodore rolled over and lowered the comforter covering him. The sun was high and bright in the sky. He didn't need to cast a tempus to know it was near noon. He slept in and enjoyed every single minute of it.

He figured he earned it for the year he endured and his father's attention.

An hour later Theodore was at Gringotts bank speaking to his personal banker. This goblin was in no way acquainted with the Nott family banker. Theodore didn't want any connection between his plans and his family. There was no telling when his father might sit up and notice what his youngest child was doing. Or not doing.

"Is everything set up?"

"This will take you both to your location. It will also return you. It will only work with your blood," his banker gruffly answered.

"Thank you for your assistance." He handed the goblin a sealed envelope. "This is just a little something to show my appreciation of your fast work."

The goblin nodded his head and accepted the tip. "Goodbye, Nott."

He inclined his head. "Rockclasp." Then he turned to the trio of young wizards standing a little way away from him. The tallest one walked over to him. He had dark brown, almost black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He was a young adult. Theodore guessed he was in his late teens or early twenties. "You've been made aware of what I require?"

"Yes. We are to go with you overseas and conduct the Fidelius charm with you as the secret keeper," the tallest one of them answered. He swallowed nervously. "Then we will return where my coworkers and I will be obliviated of all knowledge."

"Simple. Are you all ready?" he asked and held out the short piece of rope. It was less than six inches long but it was more than enough for them both to hold and be sent on to their destination.

He glanced at his two coworkers. Neither man said a word but they must have conveyed their acceptance. "Yes." As a trio they walked over to Theodore and held the rope. "One. Two. Three." Theodore counted down before activating the portkey.

He gritted his teeth against the sensation of feeling a hook in his belly jerking him through time and space. It seemed to take forever before he was released. He dropped down to the ground on both knees and coughed. For a moment he was afraid he was going to throw up his breakfast. His stomach protested the portkey with rolls and somersaults but it didn't give up its occupants.

He groaned and stood. The other wizards was in much better shape than Nott. No doubt the bastards got a lot of practice with portkeys in their job as wardmakers. This was only Nott's third time with the method of travel, his second coming this far away from home. He didn't even want to remember just how bad his first international trip was.

Even ghosting near that memory brought shudders.

"Let us proceed."

The trio looked at him as though he'd was the recipient of a confundus charm and didn't know it. He mentally sighed. It wasn't his fault he acted the way he did. He blamed his father entirely. Asshole.

He was forced to grow up fast following his mother's death and his father didn't help by demanding he be the most proper son alive, second only to his older brother, the Nott heir.

Those were big, dark shoes to fill, but Theodore did his best to pretend to fulfill the role.

It took some time but finally, the trio of hired wardmakers set off toward their destination. Theodore silently followed. Fifteen minutes after they set off the men started talking among themselves. It seemed a little time walking through Northern Territory eased their tongue.

The three older wizards were friends and one of them was married. Even more surprising was the fact that two of them were pureblood, dark affiliated purebloods, and one was a muggleborn.

Who knew those three could be friends?

Five minutes later they reached their destination. "We're here," he called out to the trio.

One of the men jumped, startled. Theodore stepped back at the act. The man, a blond, rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that, Mr. Nott. I was not paying attention to where I was going," he admitted.

Theodore didn't know what to say in reply so he simply nodded. "Ready?"

The three looked to one another and then him. "Uh, call me stupid, but what exactly do you want us to ward?"

Theodore reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a thin sheet of paper. He unfolded it to reveal the map. "I own three hundred uninhabited miles of land here. I want the Fidelius set up here." He arched an eyebrow at the men. "The goblins should have notified you of this."

"This job has the highest level of secrecy so our boss only told us we were going to ward a large piece of property."

"Interesting." He paused. "Can you do this?" he asked when he realized that the three men just might not be able to do the job as they were never told what to expect.

The blond sighed. "Yeah, but it's going to take a dragon's load amount of time."

"I am more than willing to pay."

"Okay."

Nine hours and three magically exhausted wizards later, Theodore had his protected property and the title of secret keeper. He whipped out his heritage wand, and lifted the eyelid of the first wizard. "Obliviate."

One down, two to go. While the plot of land no longer existed in anyone's mind it was better to be safe rather than sorry. After all the wizards would have remembered they came to Australia to work on something in Northern Territory. Wizards who remember are wizards who can tell.

The goblins might have a problem with his actions. After all, they wouldn't be able they wouldn't be able to sell him out to a higher bidder. Not like it really matter. They wouldn't deny him admittance to the bank or stop working with him.

They never did. After all it wasn't like they really cared what anyone did to their human employees and the wardmakers wouldn't look too hard with the amount of money he placed in their pockets.

* * *

I totally love Antoinette, and not just cause she's my creation. She came out of no where and (I feel) stole the show a little.

We see a little more of Nott and Potter's lives. I tried to make both imperfect and real. I'm tired of reading about a rich Harry, plus I think not having money means he has to do things very differently than if he did have money. If he had millions of galleons he could afford not to get back lost rents from the Dursley for example. Anyways, as always, tell me what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Caution**: This is the writer's first draft.

**Rating**: Adult

**Pairing**: Hadrian/Theodore

**Warnings** (for this and later chapters): m/m, slash, language, toys, adult games, male pregnancy

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

* * *

Chapter Three

Hadrian Potter was having the best day ever. He was still trying to get his head around the fact that he was worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. About twenty-four hours ago, he was the poor orphan that drained the Dursely's of their well-earned money. Yesterday the goblins at Gringotts told him that he not only had money, the house the Dursely's lived in belonged to him and they weren't paying rent. Soon that would be corrected. His vault manager looked practically bloodthirsty when Hadrian gave them the go ahead to collect back rent and interest. Last night he momentarily considered telling the goblins to hold back on getting the past fees owed and just request that that family start paying from now on. He decided against writing the letter. Hadrian might have been inclined to let the Dursely's off if they were a nice family who treated him right.

He didn't expect them to love him. He wasn't even sure if Vernon and Petunia actually loved Dudley. They didn't treat their son the way other parents treated their kid. Hadrian would know, having spent a lot of time watching families and wishing he could be part of one.

No, the Durselys' were incapable of loving him and treating him as one of their own, but it would have been nice if they simply hadn't beat him every time something went wrong in their life and didn't give him chores upon chores, or best yet, gave him an actual bed and bedroom to sleep in. For those reasons and more, he would get back any and all rent due. He wondered if the goblins could actually increase the rent. The Durselys lived there so long they might be willing to pay the price as long as it wasn't too high and if the amount was too far out of their reach, well, they just might have to move.

A wicked grin curved Hadrian's mouth at the thought. If they moved he could sell the house outright and get rid of number 4 Privet Drive forever. He reached across the bed and grabbed some of the parchment piled on top of the bedside table.

Hadrian was staying in the apartment his father purchased himself after he graduated from Hogwarts. He really didn't have any time to explore the place. He came home, and wasn't that lovely to think, late last night after buying himself a few personal items for his new apartment. Finally, he stopped at Tesco and bought some easy to eat and cook food for the next few days. One of the first things he purchased in Diagon Alley, after a second hat from Ms. Antoinette that he paid for, was a small book bag with permanent feather light and space expansion charms. He was a little envious of the one Hermione had. The Twist special provided him with a trunk, but not a bag oddly enough. The book bag made his shopping expedition relatively easy. He was too tired to do the place any real justice.

He was prepared to do some cursory cleaning and fall in bed. Shocked didn't quite describe how he felt when he turned on the light and saw the place was clean. The floors fairly sparkled. Even when he tried his hardest to please Petunia with his cleaning, he hadn't been able to accomplish such a shine. Hadrian had gaped at the polished wood floors and then jumped back when something… someone… something appeared in front of him.

The being turned out to be a house elf and her name was Imogene. Imogene stood around three and a half feet tall and she had medium green skin, large, round eyes, and a bulbous nose. Her grin when she looked at him was wide and infectious. "Master Hadrian has returned to Prongs' Bat Cave," she exclaimed.

Hadrian hadn't ever seen a house elf so he was understandably surprised. Then he processed what she said. He knew the place belonged to his father but Prongs' Bat Cave? And he was returning, meaning he'd been here before. "Uh, hi?"

He and Imogene had gotten along in short order. She explained how she was waiting for him to return since she couldn't find him no matter how hard she tried, but now that he was there she would take great care of him. When Hadrian had gone on to ask what she meant by that she'd given him a short, because of the late time, list of her responsibilities as a house elf.

She was butler, cook, and cleaning staff all in one. Then she ushered him off to bed and Hadrian was too tired to do anything but allow her to put him to sleep.

He sat up and looked around the room. "Wow," he breathed out in surprise. He hadn't noticed before just how large the room was. The bed was the largest Hadrian had ever seen let alone slept in. It was larger than the Dursely's king size bed and had enough room for Hadrian to roll over several times and not even see the floor let alone fall upon it. He fairly scrambled out of the bed, it was quite high, and looked around.

Right in front of the bed was a large leather chest. It had iron detail and intricate scroll etching. On the top of it was the name "Potter" in a very large font. He tried to lift up the lid, eager to see what hidden treasures his father accumulated. It didn't budge. It was then that Hadrian noticed that the chest had lock in it. He needed the key.

His stomach chose that moment to make itself known. He also needed food. 'Feed me' his belly practically screamed. Before he could get breakfast he needed to take a shower and dress for the day. He wondered where Imogene was. "Uh, Imogene?"

There was a cheerful pop and then his house elf appeared before him. Hadrian briefly wondered how Imogene managed to get such emotion attached to the sound but knew better than to ask. He only met the elf last night but he already knew she didn't like questions about herself.

Thankfully she loved talking about the Potter family. She promised to answer any and all questions tomorrow, which was today. First question: "Good morning Imogene. Where is the bathroom?"

"So polite. Just like little Master James. Is little Master Hadrian looking for the master suite water closet?"

Little Master James…. Little Master Hadrian… Master Suite. "Yes," he answered a little uncertainly, still trying to wrap his mind around the thought of his father as a little anything. Just how old was Imogene?

Theodore stood outside the ramshackle building and adjusted his double breast jacket. He felt it was a little much but he needed to make the best impression. He would have only one shot at this. He knocked on the door with the handle of his umbrella and waited for someone to open the door. He wasn't waiting long. Less than a minute later a young, dark skinned woman opened it. She wasn't much taller than him. She stood only about an inch or two over five feet. She was tiny in stature and painfully thin, unnaturally so, and it showed in her sharp collarbone and sunken in cheeks. She could use a good meal or several. The thinness of her figure took nothing away from the beauty of her face.

Heather Williams was the most beautiful girl of her year when she graduated Hogwarts.

It still showed.

Heather had a large sweeping forehead with long black straight hair. Her eyes were large and almond shaped. They would have overpowered her face without her equally captivating high cheekbones and wide, thick lips.

Heather Williams had the kind of beauty that walked muggle catwalks or at the very least belonged to actors and actresses. She probably would have gone down that road if her family weren't notified about her magic. Theodore's research showed she was a child model.

Looking at her Theodore realized just how hard his task was going to be. Heather Williams was one of several muggle born and raised females who captured his brother and father's attention. It was not a good thing. These women didn't have families, magical or muggle, with the power or care to protect them.

His father had an heir and a spare, but for him, that was never enough. He was always jealous of Arthur Weasley and his wife's fertility. The Weasley's had seven children and every one of them were magical. Highly magical.

It was unheard of in magical Britain, even when potions were used. The only men who could claim having so many magical children had numerous wives. Few magicals chanced having more than four, five at the most, children. Each additional birth increased the chance of having a squib.

Like the smartest of men, the elder Nott and his heir worked around the natural restrictions preventing a couple from having many magical children. They impregnated many different women.

All of them against their will.

The ministry turned a blind eye to rape, especially where the rape resulted in a magical child. They had so few numbers after all.

"Miss Williams, my name is Theodore Silenus Nott."

A change went through her the moment he said his last name. Oh, she'd shuddered when he said his middle name. It wasn't normal like for instance John or James and so pointed to him being a little different. This woman feared the unusual, but more than that she feared the Nott family.

She had good reason to do so.

"I am not my brother," he whispered. "I am nothing like him… like them. That is why I am here, Miss Williams. I want to help you escape them."

A thousand emotions swam in her dark eyes. "Why?" she croaked finally.

"No one deserves what you endured. No one. My mother was my father's second wife. She came from a small family. They weren't powerful. Now all but one of them is dead just as my mother is. You are not the first woman my family has hurt…in this way. I will do anything to make sure you don't bear the scars of their touch any longer."

"I've tried running before. Magic makes it easy to find someone who is hiding. What makes you, child, think you can protect me when I can't protect myself?"

"I know you're bright, Ms. Williams. Your presence in Ravenclaw attested to that, but I've got access to magic and scrolls you don't."

She stared down at him. Her eyes, such a deep brown they appeared black most of the time, seared him and stripped him off all his layers. "Okay." Her voice was steadier this time. It held just a little more strength.

He couldn't help his small smile at the depth of her inner core. His brother might have done all he could to break her but she wasn't broken. Maybe she was cracked, but not quite shattered.

She stepped back and gestured for him to enter. He stepped inside the house. "Thank you. I greatly appreciate your hospitality."

"You're, uh, welcome," she murmured.

He hadn't stepped more than five feet into the house when a little boy came barreling into the room. The tyke almost ran right into Theodore. Only Theodore's outstretched hands prevented them from colliding. The woman gasped behind him. "Hello," he called the little boy after making sure he wasn't going to fall over. He lifted his hands over his tiny shoulders.

"Hi!" he exclaimed with eyes bright with excitement. "Who are you?"

"Me?" Theodore pointed to himself in mock question.

"Of course, silly. I don't know you. I know mama."

"Well, I am Theodore Nott, your uncle."

Hadrian sent off a letter to Theodore Nott exactly two hours after his accounting appointment. In the note he asked for the name of a law wizard who was accomplished at business dealings and if he wanted to meet up and talk. Nott might not know the answer as he was just a child like Hadrian, but he figured there was no harm in asking. Plus, Theodore just seemed like to the type to know attorneys, not matter their field. His family probably had one on retainer.

The thought made Hadrian grimace. The Potter family probably had a solicitor, or firm, on retainer once upon a time.

No doubt that relationship ended just when his family's money dried up. Employees did like to get paid for their services. Or maybe the association ended when Voldemort murdered his parents?

Normally, Hadrian would be nervous about sending a letter to anyone, let alone Theodore Nott, but he was too busy to be anxious.

Moving was exhausting. To be honest moving in was exhausting. It took time and effort to go from his new place to the Gringotts storage vault and back again. He'd done it three times before Imogene finally told him she could use her magick to transport his stuff if he would only ask. Blushing, Hadrian did as she asked.

It was nice to have a little something of his parents around.

The apartment turned out to be a nice three bedroom, two bath apartment in a relatively nice area. It wasn't too upscale, nor was it in the dumps. On paper, it was a three bedroom, two bath, but in reality it was a damned manor shoved into the space of an apartment. Thankfully it was fully furnished. It even included staff, well, Imogene, the house elf.

Hadrian laughed a little thinking about his reaction to her. He damn near had a heart attack when he unlocked the door and walked a few steps into the apartment only to be stopped by a three foot green thing. The need to keel over and die became even more pronounced when the little being started crying and hugging him and then wailing about how sorry it was for "not finding little master."

After he calmed Imogene, they had a relatively nice chat. It turned out her name, it was female, was Imogene and she was her father's personal house elf. She worked for his dad after he moved out of the family manor, but hadn't moved with him when his parents married.

"Miss Lily didn't like elves. She said I wasn't needed," Imogene said with a pout.

"Uh, why?"

"She said she could clean after herself and that Master James needed to learn how to clean for himself," she replied with a disgruntled sniff. Her large nose was actually turned up.

Hadrian almost smiled at her attitude but knew better. He was a quick learner. Offending Imogene was bad news. He nodded his head in understanding. While he loved the idea of never having to clean up after himself again having a servant, even a magical one was a little disturbing.

Since Hadrian didn't know anything about house elves and his books didn't talk about them, he decided to ask Imogene about herself and her people. That was an interesting conversation. Apparently house elves were not related to Elves, but brownies and loved working for their masters. At least if they were good masters.

The ties house elves had to their masters were meant to be two-way but over time the magic distorted and made them slaves. In order to survive an elf needed to be bound. To a place or person. Apparently, Hogwarts had hundreds of house elves. It was a house elf refuge for any elf that was given clothes, couldn't find another family or person to bind themselves to, and didn't want to die.

Imogene didn't go into detail about "clothes". He could tell she didn't like the topic despite wearing clothes. When he pointed that out to her she curtly replied that she, "Wore a uniform like all distinguished house elves and wouldn't dare wear clothes. I like living thank you very much." End of discussion.

Hadrian learned to never give Imogene clothes. "The laundry basket in your room is there for a reason," she told him with a sharp glare.

A few days passed since Hadrian moved in and he was getting a hand on his parent's estate. Hadrian and Imogene were going over the financial statements for the last five years. It seemed since his parent's death, nothing had come and very little was going out. This was a good thing. The little that was coming in came from a few investments his parents made before they died. It was not very interesting reading.

Nothing like the ten years before his parent's died. Hadrian didn't even think it was possible to spend that much money in so little time but his parents managed to do the unthinkable. Not all of it was unwise purchases. He couldn't understand a fair amount of their banking statements but a good number of galleons and pounds appeared to go toward bad investments in the magical and normal world.

Luckily, Hadrian had Imogene to ask certain questions. It seemed his father never stopped giving Imogene work. Whenever his mother wasn't home and there was a mess he couldn't handle, he called Imogene. According to her, that was fairly often as his father was always working on pranks, even after he left school. More often than not Imogene and his father talked while she cleaned. Hadrian guessed they were less master and employee and more friends.

He liked that thought. He hoped he and Imogene could have that kind of relationship.

From Imogene, Hadrian knew one of the larger expenditures 5.7 million pounds was lost in a real estate venture in London with a normal commercial real estate company. The deal fell through before they even broke ground and the company went bankrupt.

Another 1.5 galleons were lost in a wizarding venture to build another wizard only village a couple miles outside Dublin. Death Eaters burned it to the ground and killed a couple of the workers. No one wanted to live there afterward.

What wasn't spent on poor business choices was used to upkeep a very lavish lifestyle. His parents spent money on trips, manor renovations and incredible collectables.

Hadrian Potter, former scum of Privet Drive, owned three different diamond rings with five carats and more jewel weight, and half a dozen Ceylon Sapphire rings, Burmese rubies, and Columbian emeralds for each type of jewel. He had necklaces and bracelets and even a goblin made tiara.

From his father he had shrunken, antique luxury cars and motorcycles in pristine condition. It appeared that either his dad or grandfather was fascinated with them although neither one of them drove them much or even at all, gold and silver jeweled watches and cuff links.

Hadrian wasn't sure how much his stuff was currently worth as his Gringotts account was very basic. They would charge him an additional fee to tell him how much his stuff was worth and he thought it might just pay him to do it in London. After all a galleon was ten dollars. Considering how much stuff he had it might cost hundreds of galleons. Plus, it just made sense to sell the normal goods in the normal world. He doubted it would cost thousands of dollars in regular London. At least he hoped not.

Plus, new in the wizarding world was antique to the normal world. The Potters, long before his parents married, had a large collection of antique furniture, jewelry, books and clothes. While most of it was wizarding items that could never be shown to normal people, like the ancient Greek urn with llama depictions that actually moved, a fair amount according to the paperwork was normal or muggle stuff that could fetch quite a lot of money.

He was chewing his bottom lip, wondering if he should run out and snag someone's phone book, when Hedwig flew over to him. She had a letter on her right leg. Hadrian eyed it wondering what it said. He knew whom it was from. He sent Hedwig to Theodore to ask him for some information and if the slytherin wanted to meet somewhere and hang out.

He hoped the other boy said yes. To both.

"Are you going to take the letter, Master Hadrian, or simply stare at it?"

Hadrian turned slowly to look at Imogene. There were moments like now where Hadrian wondered just what kind of employee his little house elf was. She spoke to him like no other employee should. At least he thought so judging by all the shows he watched on the television the last night. He huffed and took the letter Hedwig held out. No point in putting off the inevitable.

He quickly read through the letter and then read it again to make sure he didn't miss anything the first time.

It was Theodore and the slytherin had a few names he thought would be helpful, a law firm that covered magical and normal law. To be honest, the boy wanted to meet Hadrian today. Later today, but still today.

"Master Hadrian, are you alright? You look a little faint."

He felt a little faint and nervous, and excited. Theodore wanted to meet up with in the normal world. He wanted to eat lunch and then hang out. At an arcade.

"I'm fine, Imogene." And he was. He was more than fine. He was finally going to be able to do something fun with someone, a friend, in the normal world. With no Dudley to ruin things. He'd done some exciting things with Ron and Hermione and hung out a little with the rest of the first year Gryffindor boys but this was different, and for some reason felt more special. "Theodore would just like to meet me later today."

"That is great, Master Hadrian. Do you have time to go through the books before your engagement?"

He blushed at the word engagement. Imogene's terms were very old school and sometimes that was very embarrassing. She made it sound like he was engaged to Theodore. "Uh, yeah. He wants to meet at one." It was a little after eight. Hadrian was too excited about his new home to sleep long. Not that he was used to really sleeping in from the Dursely's and Hogwarts. In the few hours since he'd awoken, he'd learned more about his family than he had the last eleven years of his life. Apparently every member of his family kept a diary about their lives. Hadrian's father kept one for each year after he turned eleven and started Hogwarts. He'd already started reading his father's diary about his first year. Words couldn't describe how he felt when Imogene first handed him that book.  
Thanks to Imogene Hadrian knew about this family tradition and she'd even shown him the library book that held the spell for him to start his own diary. Apparently all the diaries were crafted by their writers. Tonight, when Hadrian returned from his meeting with Theodore, he was going to try the spell and make his own book. He wanted to write down all about his first year with Ron, Hermione, Fluffy, and Voldemort.

"Good. Little Master Hadrian, must shower, dress, and prepare before his engagement. Imogene will return when it is time." She popped away to do whatever task she gave herself to keep busy.

He glanced down and around at the books littered around the library. He sat on the floor. There were books on the floor all around him and on the large center desk and chair, and even on the couches and chaise lounge. They had all come from the storage vault. With Imogene's help, he shrunk the books and brought them home. Every book once belonged to his family, most his father. The vast majority of it was above Hadrian's head, but the topics left him reeling with excitement and the possibilities of just what magic was capable of doing.

To think a wizard could become an animal, could change the shape and properties of almost anything they got their hands on, and could make potions that could change their whole identity.

He couldn't wait until he learned enough to be able to read his father's books, and understand his handwritten notes in the margins.

* * *

Please review and tell me what you think.

Anyone who knows anything about jewels probably has an understanding of just how much money Lily spent on her rings. I love jewelry and let me tell you I had fun looking up some of the pieces I pictured. FYI, in my mind Lily spent quite a bit of time at Harry Winston.

I know I introduced another OC here. You might as well get used to it, but I promise the OCs will not be anything more than minor characters, at least all but one. Hadrian and Theo will be the focus of this story. They won't be doing any thing remotely graphic for quite a few chapters since they're 11 now, but as they age well... :-D


	4. Chapter 4

**Caution**: This is the writer's first draft.

**Rating**: Adult

**Pairing**: Hadrian/Theodore

**Warnings** (for this and later chapters): m/m, slash, language, toys, adult games, male pregnancy

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

* * *

Chapter Four

Hadrian stood at the corner waiting for Theodore to show up. He was several streets away from where the Leaky Pub stood and the entrance to Diagon Alley. He really hoped any witches or wizards walking through the area didn't recognize him. He doubted it. He was wearing another one of his hats. He was becoming particularly fond of the one Antoinette gave him. Just this morning, he sent the woman a letter thanking her for helping him get to Gringotts and providing him with a hat. He also asked her if she knew of a good solicitor and barrister team who would take him on as a client just in case Nott's guy didn't work out.

He smiled broadly remembering her response. She was very frank in her appreciation of his letter and invited him to dinner this evening, if he was free. He and Theo agreed to meet after noon and they were going to an arcade. He had no idea just how long they would stay there. He hoped it was very a long amount of time. With that in mind Hadrian replied back, saying he wasn't free for dinner tonight but was more than willing to meet her tomorrow.

"Hadrian."

He jumped at his name, momentarily fearing a witch or wizard had spotted him despite his hat. That was one thing he didn't understand about magicals. They seemed unable to recognize him unless they spotted his scar. After his meeting at Gringotts, he walked around the alley and explored and not one person took notice of him.

"Hadrian?"

He focused on Theodore and blushed, knowing he was caught red handed allowing his thoughts to wonder. "Sorry. Hi, Theodore. How are you," he asked nervously. Now that the other boy was around him, he wasn't quite sure what to say or do. This was going to be painful.

"I am well," Theodore drawled softly. "How are you, Hadrian?"

"Great. Fine." An unsteady silence descended between them. Hadrian tried and failed not to shuffle his feet.

"How are you enjoying your summer so far?" Theodore asked, breaching the heavy quiet.

"Pretty good, actually." Hadrian sent him a searching look. "I took your advice, you know, with the Knight Bus. It's the best summer I've ever had."

"Glad I could be of some service," he replied with a slight tilt of his head.

"You have been a lot of help, Theodore. A lot." Hadrian almost choked up at the thought of just how much aid Theodore gave him. The Twist special was a little godsend. The books provided him with a lot of information about the wizarding world. The extra clothes Madame Malkin gave him meant he didn't have to wear Dudley's cast-offs under his robes and during the weekend. Now, he gave him a way to get out of his relatives home. Without Theodore, Hadrian wouldn't know about the apartment his father bought or that the Dursely's owed him back rent.

He now knew, after reading his father's notes, James bought the house as a courting gift for his mother. It was supposed to show he respected her ties with the muggle world. He bought her a large collection of charms books and potions supplies to show he respected her mind and magical ability. Hadrian flipped through one of the books, after Imogene showed him where they were located, and felt just a little bit closer to his parents.

He knew they were gone, but he felt a little less lonely knowing they left some of their personal articles behind. He felt closer to them and he had Theodore to thank for that.

"Hadrian?" The brunet called softly, drawing Hadrian's attention back to him.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"It's fine." Theodore glanced at his wrist. He wore a watch. "It's a little late for the noon meal, but I didn't get the chance to eat as I was conducting a… chore. Hungry?"

"Yeah. Uh, what do you want to eat? I mean…" Hadrian was a little unsure of how to voice his question. He knew from what little he knew about magical England that they didn't have a variety of foods. Hogwarts, the Leaky Cauldron and most of the other shops only sold traditional English food. Culinary experimentation was just another way magical England was behind its normal counterpart. Theodore was a pureblood. He strongly doubted he knew much about the regular world, but maybe he wasn't giving the guy enough credit. Theodore did invite him out to an arcade.

Theodore chuckled. "Yes, I've been to the muggle world. You'd be amazed how many pureblood children have. I won't pretend to be very familiar with it, but I do know there is a vast array of foods to enjoy. Do you have a preference?"

Hadrian nodded eagerly. "Pizza." The Dursely family was a big fan of fast food and one meal they ordered every week without fail was pizza. However, they never let Hadrian have a single slice. Now that he was free of them he definitely wanted to try it. Just might order a pizza to go and have Imogene take it home for later. She was a very good cook but he didn't think she could make a pizza.

"I don't know what pizza is but it sounds fine." He glanced around them. "Do you know of anyplace near by where we care order this pizza?"

Embarrassed by his lack of forethought, Hadrian shook his head. "No. I don't really know anything about area. Never really been here before," he admitted.

Theodore shrugged. "Same here. Want to walk around? We might find something on the street."

Hadrian grinned. "Brilliant."

Theodore flashed him a mischievous smile. "The hat did want to put me in Ravenclaw."

He laughed. "Slytherin for me."

Theodore shook his head. "Who would have known?" His pace slowed. Hadrian matched him. Theodore pointed at his right cheek. "I see a little green and silver right there."

"You're so stupid!"

Theodore shrugged. "I have my moments."

Hadrian tipped his head back and laughed. This was what it meant to have a friend. He got a little used to the feeling in Hogwarts. He now counted Hermione and Ron as friends. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were kind of his friends too; though he wasn't nearly as close to them as he was to the other two Gryffindors. Though he hadn't spent nearly as much time with Theodore as he did any of his year mates, he actually thought the brunet was his closest friend. Theodore knew things about him that the others didn't.

"Hey, isn't that a pizza diner?" Theodore asked. He was pointing to a restaurant across the street. Hadrian followed his finger. Sure enough there was a Italian eatery there. Pizza and more was blazed across the window in bright red neon nights. "Let's cross."

"The street?" Theodore asked, voice weak with uncertainty.

Hadrian realized as a pureblood, the brunet might not be comfortable actually walking through muggle London. He held out his hand and fought down the blush that threatened to rise.

Theodore eyed it for a moment before lightly placing his hand in Hadrian's.

He looked right and left to make sure it was safe to cross and then stepped onto the street. They walked across the street hand in hand. Hadrian was sure his face was several shades of red when they reached the shop. He didn't know why. Theodore was his friend and he was just helping him get across the street.

They looked over the paper menus and ordered. Hadrian picked the meat lover's flavor and ordered two slices and a cola. Theodore got a veggie supreme and lemonade. They took a booth, sitting across from one another. Neither said anything for a minute. It was incredibly awkward. Hadrian tried not to fidget with the straw of his drink. He took a sip. He just couldn't wait a moment longer to taste the drink the Durselys went out of their way to deny him.

"Was Gringotts able to aid you?"

Hadrian almost chocked on the sweet, fizzy drink, but he didn't want to lose a single drop. It was heaven and he was more than a little angry at them for denying him this experience. "Uh, yeah. Turns out my dad had a place so I didn't have to go back to my relatives."

"That is good to hear. I meant to send you a letter a little after we left the train, but I forgot. I had a lot of tasks I needed to complete."

Hadrian shook his head consolingly. If Theodore's family was even a quarter as bad as his, they would have a long list of things for him to do when he returned from Hogwarts. He wondered how Petunia and Vernon were doing without his labor. Neither adult did much in the household and the less said about his cousin, the better. "Thanks, you know. Your advice was brilliant. I did exactly as you said and had absolute no problem."

"Good. How is the place your staying, your father's home?"

Hadrian leaned forward and grinned. "It's awesome. Totally brilliant, mate. It's a flat, but it's much bigger on the inside than its appears. Imogene says that is because of wizardspace." He shrugged. "Not sure what that is, but it's got tons of stuff in it. My dad had loads of books, some of them he wrote himself."

Theodore laughed. "Sounds great. Much better than the muggles, huh?"

"No contest."

"Here you go, lads!" A man with greying hair and a kind face placed two plates on the table between them. "Enjoy!" he called before walking back to the front of the pizzeria. "Thanks," Hadrian yelled after him. He eyed his food. "This looks awesome." He moved close and took a deep whiff. It smelled better than it looked. He picked it up and took a bite. Impossibly it tasted even better.

They eat in silence. Both boys were preoccupied with their first taste of pizza.

"That was delicious." Theodore looked very satisfied as he leaned back against his side of the booth. The brunet even ordered another slice. "I'm not sure I can get up," he admitted. "I believe I might have eaten a little too much."

"And not go to the arcade?" Hadrian exclaimed horrified. He couldn't imagine passing up on the arcade. He felt a little too full himself, but if he had to roll him out the restaurant, he was going to do it to make it to the arcade. He vividly remembered all the times Dudley teased him about not being able to go the local one. Now he was free of them and he was going to do all the things he was denied.

"I've never actually been to one." Theodore shifted in his seat. "Pureblood." He turned his head and looked toward the street. "I have heard great things about the place and figured you wouldn't be opposed to going."

"Oh. Well, I haven't been there before. My relatives never would let me, but I've heard it's really fun."

Theodore muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "muggles," and stood. "Come on. I want to be able to spend the most time possible in this arcade place."

Hadrian slid out the booth to stand beside Theodore. Together they walked out the restaurant. This was going to be so much fun. Oddly, Hadrian was happy this was going to be both his and Theodore's first time at an arcade. It felt right to have the pureblood with him despite them doing something so very muggle.

Maybe because Theodore was his first real friend.

* * *

Petunia Dursely was having a very good summer. Granted it was only the beginning of the season, but she could already tell it was going to be an enjoyable time for her family.

Her freak of a nephew hadn't bothered to return from his equally freakish school for the holidays so it was just her and her family at home. Dudley hadn't had the best first year at Smeltings. She had to go to the school and straighten a few things, or at least attempt to straighten a few things. It seemed that Dudley had picked up the horrible habit of bullying his classmates from that horrid nephew of hers. Still, as aggravating as that was nothing compared to not having that boy here for the time. She fully expected him to show up some day during the summer with no care of the hardship he'd put her family through with his absence.

She and Vernon ended up hiring a number of contractors to do the chores that needed to be done; the chores that were usually done by him. The amount of money they had to pay for the services was a hit to their budget but it was worth it not to have the freak and his unnatural ways around.

This afternoon she was hosting her neighborhood's tea party. The ladies were gathered in her living room and a few had spread out to her kitchen. Conversation was lively and spiteful, the best kind. They were currently discussing the newest resident, a single Asian woman who lived two streets over. The woman had three children, all young boys, and to make matters worse, as if not being married wasn't bad enough, she had the poor sense to buy one of the biggest and most expensive houses in the region. Riddick Lane wasn't like Privet Drive. All of the houses were unique. No cookie cutter homes for Riddick and the homes and lots were much bigger, a good quarter and more larger. However Ms. Henderson bought the biggest house on the street.

She was an engineer. The woman didn't even have the good grace to stay home and teach those hooligans she called children.

Honestly, what was the world coming to!

"My Piers told me that the youngest child actually claims to take music lessons. As if," Ms. Polkiss sneered.

The sound of her letters being pushed through her mailslot broke her out of the conversation. She was going to ignore the recent delivery, but then she remembered Marge promised to mail Petunia's latest gift from her trip a little less than a week ago. Today might be the day it arrived, and wouldn't it be lovely if she could shove her latest acquisition in everyone's face. She wouldn't even have to say anything, at least not much, to make them all green with jealously. Oh, how she loved that color.

"One moment ladies. I'm expecting something important."

A few of the women called out to her wondering just what she was expecting that couldn't wait. With her back to them, Petunia allowed a smirk to curve her mouth.

She quickly made her way to the mail slot and picked up the letters. There was a slim parcel among them. Her gift from Marge had arrived. Today was turning out to be a great day.

Petunia was so excited she barely managed to keep from running back to her living. She skimmed through her letters with half an eye but one sheet caught her attention. It was from one of London's largest banks and it was addressed to her. Almost all of their personal and financial accounts were done in Vernon's name. The only things in her name were opened before the two got married. She wondered if it was an inheritance.

How lovely that would make her day. Perfection didn't even describe it.

She tore the letter open and scan it quickly. It was not an inheritance. As a matter of fact it was as far away from an inheritance as one could get. The bloody letter was for a collection. It claimed she and Vernon didn't pay for their house and were in default. Worse everything needed to be paid, all 110,000 and more pounds, before the end of next month. "Oh god," she whimpered.

Then rage like nothing she'd ever felt, not even when that stupid sister of hers told her all about her lovely, handsome and titled boyfriend who later became her husband, filled her. That old crackpot told her that they wouldn't have to pay the rental fee for their home since they had taken the brat in and so they hadn't. It seemed he went back on his word and the bank wanted their money.

He was going to get the nastiest letter from her. Did he actually think he could lie to Petunia Dursely and get away with it? Well, she would show him!

What was she going to tell Vernon? The letter fell from her lifeless fingers.

Poor Vernon thought she owned the house outright as an inheritance from her family. Petunia never told him that the house was actually owned by that freak's father and purchased for her stuck up sister.

"Petunia, dear? Is this letter telling the truth? Does this house belong to that Potter boy and have you not been paying rent for the last ten years?" Emily Saunders asked. Her voice was light with caution and confusion but Petunia could see the light of unholy glee in her eyes. Emily always hated her. The stupid bint was forced to work weekdays at the local grocer to make ends meet and never forgave Petunia for alluding that her husband wasn't man enough to make the ends meet without her input, not like her Vernon.

This was payback for that comment. Petunia just knew it.

"Petunia, is this true?"

"I thought you said that Potter boy's father was a drunkard and your sister a whore?"

"How could they afford to buy this house if they were unemployed?"

"Why exactly are you not paying rent for the home you're living in?"

Emily sat back with a smile. She didn't even try to hide it. The little bitch!

* * *

Theodore replaced the double breast jacket he wore earlier. He was tired and wanted to sleep for the next week or two but this was the last house he needed to visit. He couldn't take the chance of not doing all he needed today. Tomorrow might be too late. As it was he wasn't sure why his brother and father waited so long to collect the children they forcibly breed unto any muggle born or raised female who was unfortunate to capture their attention.

He threw away the last wrapper from his fast food dinner and mournfully sipped the last of his dark drink. Greasy fast food was reason enough to venture into the muggle world often. Purebloods didn't know what they were missing. Muggle food and desserts were, what was the saying, the shit!

Energized from his fizzy drink, he jogged the rest of the way to the apartment building. He rode the elevator to reach the twelfth floor and knocked on apartment D. A young pale skinned blond opened the door. She was quite beautiful with her cupid's bow mouth and ocean green eyes, though the last two years of poverty had taken its toll on her looks. Her skin was dull and her eyes lacked light.

"Hello, Theodore Nott. I was wondering when you would visit me. I'm sure you know my name but let me introduce myself. I am Maryanne Sandé."

Theodore almost stepped back at her words. He didn't expect this. It seemed he'd underestimated the woman. At least one of the others he spoke to must be in contact with Maryanne. "Hello, Maryanne is your roommate Ginger around?"

"Yes, so are the kids. Ginger is keeping them occupied." She gave him a shallow smile. "Wouldn't want them to interrupt like Jamie did, right?"

"Right," he replied. Well, that answered that question. Maryanne was friends, or at least an acquaintance, of Heather Williams. He wondered if that would make his job harder. Heather took his offer. He hoped Maryanne and Ginger followed in her footsteps. So far, he'd been very lucky. Every woman accepted.

"Would you like something to drink?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just ate." He grinned. "Had the loveliest drink, something called soda."

She stared at him in stunned surprise for a moment. Then she seemed to defrost and laughed. "Definitely not like the other purebloods," she muttered. A little louder she asked, "What kind?"

"Kind?"

"Of soda, Mr. Nott. They come in different flavors. What color was your drink and what did it taste like?"

"It was very dark brown, almost black and it tasted well spicy and I'm not sure what the other flavor was, and please call me Theodore. My father is the only mister I know."

She shuddered at the mention of his father. "Right. Probably a Dr. Pepper."

"Thanks! Now, I know what to look for."

"You're welcome."

An uncomfortable silence landed heavily between them. Theodore decided to break it. "I'm sure you are aware of why I'm here."

"I have an idea, but why don't you tell why the spare heir of the great and dark House of Nott is sitting in my raggedy living room on my ripped sofa chair making small talk with a muggleborn whore."

Theodore winced. The last part was probably a remnant of his father. The woman was angry. She had cause to be. He knew from the many listening charms he'd placed across the manor that his father and brother had raped and impregnated these women and used a charm so that the fetuses could not be terminated by any outside force, whether magical or muggle, and then promised to retrieve the child a year before he or she was supposed to enter Hogwarts.

"I'll be frank. I know what my father did to you and the other women. I also know what he promised to do."

"I see. Then have you come to give me the second round of Nott bastards?"

Theodore froze. "W…what?" he stuttered. Theodore had charmed various quills to write down what the listening charms need and not one page of his notes alluding to his father's intention to return. "He told you…" he broke off unable to form the words.

"That he would come back and rape me again and again until I gave birth to a squib and only then would he leave me alone."

"I…I…. I didn't know."

"I suppose not. Now why are you here, Theodore Nott, and this time cut to the chase. I have twins to look after."

Twins. Yes, he could see why his father would want to return here. There hadn't been any twins in his family in generations. No doubt the bastard was greedy and hoped for another set. "I have land and money, somewhere far away and hidden."

"Are you offering us a home away from your father and brother?"

"Yes."

"In exchange for what?"

"Family."

She bristled. "No, not like that," he corrected quickly. "I'm sure you've noticed how families like mine, dark ones, treat the spare heir. Knowing my father you can imagine how much worse it is in our household, but I'm different. He doesn't know how, but he can sense it and well, I'd just like someone who's blood I share not look at me as though I'm worse than the filthiest scum under their boots."

"How are you different?"

Theodore licks his lips and considered answering with a lie. He couldn't do that to Maryanne. She deserved the truth. "My mother is dead. She was my father's second wife. She was quite beautiful. I have pictures and well I can remember her. Her beauty caught his eye, but it was her magic that held his attention. She was very strong magically. He wanted that, to breed that trait into his children, but my mother wanted to be loved and so she wouldn't hear him at first. He chased her and eventually they married. My mother knew exactly what kind of man my father was so she kept her secrets, including the secret of just who and what she was. My mother wasn't human. She was a half-breed of two magical races, forest nymph and woodland saytr. If my father knew what was in my blood, well, I'm sure you know what he would do."

She shivered. "Yes."

"So, you can understand why I'm doing this, because I fully expect that if my father finds out just what I am he will do the same to me and no one deserves that."

"Where exactly is this property? Is it inside of Britain?"

"No," he answered with a smile. "It's actually on the other side of the planet. Australia to be exact."

"I thought there were no magicals over there."

He gave her a sharp smile. "None besides the aborginals."

She grimaced. "Of course. Trust them to ignore the natives. I'd like to know a little more about this move as its so permanent, but I can tell you right now Theodore that unless you tell me something I really don't like I'm going to say yes. Anything is better than waiting here for him to come back and take my children, or worse, give me more.

* * *

Tell me what you think. Please review. Or just add it to your alerts/favorites. That counts as a positive vote. Yes, I'm easy to please.


	5. Chapter 5

**Caution**: This is the writer's first draft.

**Rating**: Adult

**Pairing**: Hadrian/Theodore

**Warnings** (for this and later chapters): m/m, slash, language, toys, adult games, male pregnancy

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

* * *

Chapter Five

Hadrian chewed his bottom lip and tried not to pace. Somehow he managed not to walk up and down the hall, but his shirt suffered in his feet's stead. He'd fingered and pulled at the hem constantly.

Ms. Adelu was late.

"Maybe she decided she didn't want to hang out with a little kid," he huffed to himself despondently.

"Or maybe I had a little trouble finding a taxi on time."

Hadrian spun around to find Ms. Adelu standing at the other end of the hall. She held an umbrella, nose pointed down, in one hand. Her thick hair was piled into a bun and her earrings, gold circles, shined brightly in the morning sun. She wore a short sleeve tunic and longer shorts.

She was also wearing heels.

Hadrian eyed them wondering how she managed to get into the building without him hearing her. He knew from trying and succeeding in avoiding his aunt that high shoes like hers made noise. A lot of noise.

Her gaze followed his. She looked down at her shoes and then a large, smug smile spread across her lips. "I used a spell. If you're a good boy, I'll teach it to you."

He perked up at that. "Really?"

"Yes, really, piglet. How are you?" She asked the question as she strode forward to meet him. Sure enough her shoes didn't make a single sound. Awesome. He couldn't wait until he was able to do that. Magic was so awesome. Those people were stupid to hate something so marvelous.

"Which people? What's marvelous?"

"Huh?" Hadrian looked up at Ms. Adelu in surprise. He really hoped he didn't say that out loud. She would surely think he was a crazy person talking to himself.

"Hadrian," she prodded.

He bit his lip and then plowed on. "The Dursely's... my relatives don't like magic. I think they're stupid."

"They don't like magic?" Her words were low, her voice soft.

Hadrian dropped his gaze and nodded his head. "They hate magic. Absolutely hate it. They think it's freaky."

He jumped at the weight of a hand on his head and then shivered when she ran her hands through his hair and then lifted his head. Her touch was warm, her fingers comforting, but it made him feel, oddly, uncomfortable. He was not used to that kind of affection. "You're a very magical child, aren't you, Hadrian?"

He swallowed thickly and reluctantly nodded his head.

Her chest rose and fell visibly once. "Do they hate you, Hadrian? No matter the answer, I'll believe you."

He turned his head. He couldn't keep looking into her dark brown eyes. He was afraid he was going to act like a little baby and start crying.

"It's okay. I hate them too."

She sucked in a breath. "Oh, Hadrian," and then warm arms were around him and his head was pressed against her stomach. Something foreign, thick, and heavy weighed down Hadrian's chest. It threatened to overwhelm him. Thankfully, Ms. Adelu stepped back before he could drown under the feeling. Her hands landed on his shoulders. He automatically lifted his head to look up at her.

Her eyes were watery with unshed tears. That just made the feeling in his chest more intense. What was wrong with him?

"Hadrian, where do your relatives live?" The coldness of her tone was totally out of sync with the look on her face. He almost felt bad for the Dursely's. Ms. Antoinette seemed like to type to hex a man who pissed her off. Twice. No doubt she didn't like hearing the Dursely's hated magic and him. "Uh, Surrey."

"Where in Surrey?" Her voice was a dangerous purr that made him think of the giants cats that ruled the dark continent.

He quickly gave her their exact address and thanked who ever blessed him for allowing him to meet the other side of Ms. Antoinette Adelu first.

"Do you have any plans after you meet with me or are you returning home?"

"Well, I'm going right home, ma'am." He felt like that was the right answer. He didn't exactly want to stay on the streets but he wasn't opposed to exploring. He was a little kid though. He had to be very careful because there were wicked people out there who wanted to do bad things to little kids like him. Still...

"Good, then I will make sure you return back to Surrey. Just want to meet your relatives and all."

He blanched. Oh, no. Ms. Adelu was going to take him back to them. He didn't want to return back there. Uncle Vernon would lock him and his stuff up. He just knew it and he was learning so much magic at his father's place and he didn't want to leave and - "Hadrian, little love, what's wrong?" Ms. Adelu asked as she gently shook his shoulders. "I won't go back," he stuttered.

"Where?"

"To the Dursley's... to them."

"Okay, love. I won't take you back," she murmured softly. Eyes warm, she looked at him curiously. "Where are you right now?"

He considered lying to her, telling her he was staying with a friend, but he hated the thought of lying to Ms. Adelu. She was so very kind to him. "My father had a flat." He fingered his shirt. "I'm staying there now. It's brilliant," he added.

"Are you there by yourself?"

He shook his head. "Imogene is there with me. She's our, I mean my family',s house elf."

"So, it's just you and Imogene?"

"Yeah, that's plenty enough."

She chuckled lightly. "I can imagine you think so, but young man, I have to disagree."

He flinched and looked up at her in fear. "Please, Ms. Adelu, don't send me back. I -"

"Hush, dear. I already said I wouldn't and I'm a lady of my word. Now, I'm hoping you and Ms. Imogene won't mind a repeat visitor."

He stared at her in confusion. She couldn't be saying what he thought she was, could she? Was she really going to let him keep staying in his father's apart, alone with Imogene.

"I need to know you're safe, piglet, so I'm going to be checking up on your periodically to make sure all is well. Will that be okay?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I don't mind and I don't Imogene will, but you don't have to worry though. I'm sure you've got better things to do than check up on me."

"There is nothing more important to me than making sure you're okay, Hadrian. Nothing." She took a deep breath and released it audibly.

"Now, that's out of the way, ready for the fair?"

"Fair?"

She laughed. "Did I forget to mention I'm taking you to a fair, piglet? Silly me."

"You are the best, Ms. Adelu."

"And don't you forget it, Piglet."

* * *

Hadrian had the most fun with Ms. Adelu. She was the most brilliant adult ever. She was a dark skinned female Father Christmas. First, she took him to the zoo. He saw the monkeys and the zebras and the tigers, even a giraffe. They walked and looked and she told him the stories her father told her growing up in Nigeria. She called them adages. They were so funny, like the one about the lizard who's got a belly ache but no one knows because they can't see his stomach.

He couldn't help wondering if any of the snakes were feeling unwell so he asked them. Ms. Adelu looked surprised and happy to hear him talking to them. Then as though, the zoo wasn't awesome enough, she took him to a summer fair near her neighborhood. She bought him food and snacks and paid for him to play games. They ate, walked, and played, and repeated the cycle over and over again. He was a little bumped out about not being able to go on the Ferris wheel since Ms. Adelu didn't like heights and nothing he said or promised would get her to let him go on his own or make her join him.

She even walked him to his Prong's Bat Cave. Eyes alert she looked up and down the hall before her gaze settled on him. "Did you have a nice time tonight, Hadrian?" she asked softly.

He nodded his head swiftly. "Yup, I loved the zoo and the fair. It was all brilliant. The animals and then the games and I've never had so much fun, Ms. Adelu."

She smiled brightly at him. "That's good to hear, piglet. Now, I'm hoping you don't mind, but I'd like to see this place of yours and meet Imogene."

He bit his bottom lip and tried not to squirm. He wasn't very successful. He really hoped she didn't think too badly of the apartment or Imogene. No matter what Hadrian was not returning to the Dursley family. He had too much fun living alone with Imogene to ever return there. No, it just wasn't going to happen. He would run far away first.

A dark finger lifted up his head. He found dark brown eyes staring into his. "Hadrian, my dear, I promise it will be all right. I will not send you back to those people."

Right. He nodded his head. He could trust Ms. Adelu. He pulled out his key, unlocked the door and slipped inside. He pushed it open fully so Ms. Adelu could see as she entered. "Uh, please come in, Ms. Adelu."

"Thank you, Hadrian." She stepped in. He flushed at the look she sent him. He'd never seen anything like it before, except maybe on Professor Dumbledore's face when he talked to him about the stone.

"I hate to be a bother, Hadrian, but may I beg a tour off of you?"

"Huh?" He replied wisely.

She chuckled. "Why don't you call Imogene so the both of you can show me around?"

He almost smacked his head in exasperation. How could he have forgotten already. "Imogene." The house elf appeared with a low pop.

"Evening Little Master Potter."

Hadrian winced at the little part, but he deftly introduced the two females to each other. Ms. Adelu eyed Imogene for a moment before leaning down and holding her hand out. "Thank you, Imogene for taking care of our Mr. Potter. I appreciate it. I'm hoping we can work together to keep him safe."

Imogene stared at Ms. Adelu's hand for several long minutes. Hadrian shifted from foot to foot wondering if she was going to accept and trying not to let the warm ball in his chest burn that settled at Ms. Adelu's words burn too brightly.

* * *

Albus peered in inquiry at the disgruntled owl standing at the corner of his desk. He briefly wondered how the bird entered the room. Then he felt a gust of wind. No doubt one of the Hogwarts' elves opened the window to allow fresh air into the room. He really wished they would stop doing that. He was an old man and liked the room to be a certain temperature. Open windows were not conductive to keeping the room just as he wanted. He held out his hand and the owl hopped over to him and stuck out his leg.

One snowy white eyebrow lifted in surprise. There was a tightly bundled muggle envelope on his leg. Interesting. He wondered which one of his muggle born or raised students was writing to him. Parents of the children didn't know well enough to address letters directly to him. Most went to their Heads of House or Minerva as the Deputy, as she handled all general letters.

He unrolled the letter and almost groaned at the sender's address. Petunia Dursley. He couldn't wait until Harry was seventeen just so he wouldn't have to deal with the shrew. Albus like to think the best of people, but really there was no thinking well of Petunia. The woman was pure nastiness. The only ones she seemed to care about were immediate family.

Albus read the letter quickly, put it down and sighed. It seemed that the goblins noticed Petunia wasn't paying rent for the house she was living in. Albus stood. He would see if he could handle it. He was on his way to Gringots as it was. He needed to look over the school's financials and see just how many muggleborn they could accept this year. Things were getting tighter for the school every year as less and less pure-bloods entered the institution. Pureblood children paid full tuition, half-bloods were given a reduced rate of 25 percent, while muggleborn paid half the amount, and even then, some muggleborn, particularly orphans, were given a full scholarship.

Hogwarts's contrary to popular perception among the muggle raised was not the only magical school in the United Kingdom. If he was being painfully truthful, it wasn't even the best school in the region. However, it was the oldest, safest, and most prestigious in the world. For this reason alone, it garnered more noble and titled pure-bloods than any other school. Graduating from Hogwarts' meant more than a degree from Dumstrang or any other school, despite their more strenuous academics.

However more and more parents no longer saw the increased benefit of sending their children to Hogwarts. Every year more pure-bloods were denying Hogwarts's invite and choosing to either tutor their children or send them to one of the lesser known day or boarding schools within the U.K. This took money out of Hogwarts's pockets, which in turn, meant they couldn't accept as many muggle born or raised students as Albus would have liked.

It was a shame really. Increased number of muggleborn interacting everyday with pure-bloods, particularly those from dark families who didn't seem them as humans, taught the children a different story, showed them just how similar muggleborn were to pure-bloods. They both loved magic.

An hour later, Albus had returned back from Gringots. He slowly lowered himself into his seat. He hated dealing with the school's funds but it was his job as Headmaster and though he would have loved to pass the task onto Minerva, the lady was already over taxed. Plus, he doubted she would do as he did.

Another Weasely was entering Hogwarts. Normally, pure-bloods didn't qualify for scholarships at Hogwarts. At most they received a reduced rate based on the family's income, but even that had limitations. Even at Hogwarts's most generous pureblood rate, which was equivalent to the half-blood rate, Arthur and Molly would not be able to send their first child to Hogwarts, let alone all seven, but Albus finessed the books enough to give them a rate lower than most muggleborn paid. To make up for the difference they were going to have to increase the fees a few muggleborn children paid and remove two more from their invitation list. The children's names would automatically be added to the other school's lists so they still had the chance to gain their magical education.

Albus' actions weren't per se legal, and some might even argue, they weren't even morally right, but he just couldn't see himself allowing Arthur and Molly to suffer sending their children to another school when they had given so much to him. Molly's brothers had died in his service and Arthur's allegiance to him held him back at the Ministry.

He wished his other task at the bank had been as successful. The goblins weren't pleased when he tried to intercede on Petunia's behalf. They were quick to point out that he was not a party to the incident and did not represent one of them. He showed them Petunia's letter but they rightly pointed out that it wasn't enough to establish that she wanted him to act on her behalf with them. They needed concrete, legal proof and it needed to be presented in person or written using the party's blood. There was no way Petunia was doing either. For one split second he considered claiming he was Harry's guardian. Then sense prevailed. Unlike, wizards and witches, goblins would never take his word alone as proof.

Petunia would just have to pay back the funds owed. Albus would have loved to help her out, if only to keep the peace in the house, but he was already paying for three of the Weasley children's education.

* * *

Theodore waited for the familiar change to go over his body. Really, he should consider buying the Aging Potion in bulk. The potion lasted two weeks at a time and considering this was the third time he drank it this month, he just might save himself the time and effort of ordering one every time he needed to appear a little more mature.

He grabbed his umbrella and stepped out of his apartment. Half an hour later he meet with his realtor.

Theodore contacted all the muggle born or raised woman his father and brother "knew", at least those he was aware of, and now he was looking to move them out of their current residences. He already moved two of the families. They were currently occupying his Scottish and Irish apartments. Those women were the most afraid of his relatives returning sooner rather than later. Theodore understood their fear, especially after talking with some of the other women. It seemed his brother and father didn't really let these women move on. They came back every one or two years, no matter where the women ran to and no matter how far. They could not escape in the muggle world.

He strongly suspected his father was using the darkest of magic to find them each time they ran away. Only something equally as strong would keep them safe. Theodore's first problem was space. He didn't have nearly enough of it to house all the women and their children, and in some cases, the extended family they wanted to disappear with them.

Though his relatives always targeted muggleborn and muggle raised half bloods, but they also preferred orphans and those with little family.

This lack of connection meant most of the women were very willing to simply pack up and leave when the time was right. Ms. Williams, however, had a fairly large extended family with everything from a great-grandmother, mother, four brothers, two aunts, and three cousins. Oddly enough every one in Ms. Williams generation had magic. He'd never heard of that many muggleborns coming from the same family and having magic at relatively the same time.

He was pretty sure all of her children would have the gift too.

So, yes, space was very important.

"Morning, Mr. Fox."

"Good morning, Mr. Diaz," Bartholomew Fox replied with a wide grin. Theodore returned the smile. He loved working with Bart Fox. He was a highly competent realtor who actually found him the apartment he left that morning. It was one of three bolthole apartments Theodore owed throughout Great Britain. He had one in England, Scotland and Ireland. The one in England was the only one in a city, muggle London to be exact. The other two were in small villages an hour or two outside the main city. His apartments made it easy for him to conduct his business through magical England and outside it without having to deal with his father or brother. Neither man was particularly interested in him outside of a few, exact hours out of the day.

"Think today will be the day?" he asked Fox, hoping that today he found the property he was looking for.

Fox nodded and lifted his thermos. "I've got a good feeling," he said before taking a large sip. The man didn't go anywhere without his coffee. Theodore smiled. "Good to know." He eyed the walkway. There was nothing but land in front of him. The grass was high, past his ankles, but not quite up his knees, and thick with life and bright green.

"The house has four acres of grassy and wooded area. It has been okayed for multiple residential buildings, so you could put up an apartment building."

"So, it doesn't currently have one?" Theodore asked.

Fox shook his head. "No, it was a family homestead that got parceled of bit by bit. The youngest son works in Binghamton and has no desire to keep the property. It has a large four bedroom, two bathroom house on it. Gonna need a lot of work, though, won't lie."

"I know, Bart."

"Come on. The house isn't much of a walk from here."

Together they walked to through the grass and thank Merlin, Theodore decided to wear his normal trousers. He actually intended to wear muggle shorts since it was so warm and he was pretending to be a muggle. Theodore almost immediately knew about sight that the house wasn't the right one. The land was great, but the house was more rundown than he would have liked and it was much too small. Though it had four bedrooms and two bathing rooms, it was built on the smaller scale that older houses tended to prefer.

The second house had much too little land and the third was too close to the fairly booming suburban development. The fourth house was perfect. It once was a muggle aristocrat's manor home, but it was converted to an upper middle class condominiums. Unfortunately, for the property developer, the clientele they intended to market the property to never showed up. A second company had plans to build a medical facility in the next town but that plan was never realized.

It had twelve apartments with two to four bedrooms. Each apartment was equally well done.

"How much?"

Fox gave him a reasonable amount. He argued for a low bid. He needed somewhere to place his newest family members but he also needed money to conduct his own plans.

"I hope they accept," he murmured as they left the manor home. He took a sip from his flask. He drank it little by little throughout the day to make sure he stayed in this form.

"They will if they're smart," Bart replied and clapped him on the back. "I should have a response in the next two days."

"Good." Hopefully, he could get the women moved before the 1st of September.

* * *

Weighted down by the toys Ms. Antoinette bought him, Hadrian stumbled into the apartment on unsteady feet. Imogene was there before he could take another step and straightened him up. He grinned broadly at her. "Thanks, Imogene."

"You are welcome, Master Hadrian. How was your engagement?"

"Awesome. Ms. Antoinette is the coolest person ever!" he exclaimed. He glanced at the bags in his hand. "And very kind. She bought and won me all this stuff." He held up the bags. He blushed at the thought of just how sweet the woman was. She spent more than a few minutes talking to Hadrian, just finding out about him and what his life was like before he entered the wizarding world. She hadn't looked happy when he admitted just what his life was like before Hagrid found him on that little island the Dursley's were hiding on. Thank goodness, he already left their house. He just knew Ms. Antoinette would have done something worse than give Dudley a tail if she went to see that family.

Today was the third time he met with Antoinette this summer. He sent letters off to Ron and Hermione to meet up during the summer, but neither had replied. Hadrian was disappointed and worried the two didn't consider him their friend anymore.

He didn't have time to think about it too much though, between the visits with Antoinette and Theodore and all the time spent reading and practicing magic from his father's library. It truly was amazing just how brilliant his father was. Hadrian wanted to be half as smart as his dad!

Imogene eyed them in surprise. "Master Hadrian must invite Miss Antoinette to dinner. I will make some very nice things. I'll even add dessert."

"Treacle tart?" Hadrian asked hopefully. Imogene was the best and had made him some a few days ago, but the tart finished last night. Hadrian wanted to cry when she told them that after he asked for seconds.

"Maybe," she replied slyly.

Hadrian did a little fist pump. He saw a muggle kid do it when he was out with Antoinette and thought it was a brilliant reaction to some awesome news.

"Little Master Hadrian will leave his bags and go clean up for dinner. Then he will write letter to invite Ms. Antoinette to dinner tomorrow, right?" she asked imperiously.

Sometimes Hadrian wondered if Imogene acted like this with him because he was James' son or if she did the same with his dad. He was afraid it was the latter and he'd never grow out of the title Little. She called his dad Little Master James more than once in is presence. He guessed it was because she was his father's nanny elf.

"Master Hadrian has not answered Imogene's question."

"Oh, right. I'll go write the letter now." Best to get it out of the way, plus he kind of was looking forward to seeing how Antoinette interacted with Imogene. They were both kind of bossy.

She smiled. "Little Master is a good little boy."

Right. That was two little's in that sentence. Something told him he could be Dumbledore's age and she would still call him Little Master.  
Hadrian quickly penned a letter to Antoinette using an actual fountain pen rather than a quill. Oddly enough, Theodore was the one to point it out to him that they were essentially the same product, one was just easier to use. He left the folded piece of parchment on his desk and went to take a shower. Hedwig would be back any second now. Currently, she was out delivering another batch of letters to Theodore, Hermione, and Ron. Theodore was always the first stop since the other two couldn't know about his slytherin friend.

Hadrian didn't like keeping their friendship a second but he understood a little why Theodore wanted it that way. A lot of people thought the worst of the green and silver house. Hadrian was ashamed to admit he used to be one of those people. He was smarter now, but not everyone was willing to let go of what their friends and family members told them.

He just stepped out of the shower when Imogene started yelling. Hedwig joined her not a moment later barking at the top of her voice.  
Towel around his waist, Hadrian stepped into his room to find there were too agitated females and two house elves.

Huh? He looked again and sure enough there was a very ruffled Hedwig glaring, Imogene in her pristine white and gold Potter household uniform, and there was another house elf. This one wore a yellowing white pillowcase that was liberally streaked with dust and lightly stained with old food. He, or at least Hadrian thought he was a male house elf, his features looked just a little too masculine in comparison to Imogene, was cowering under the combined weight of Imogene and Hedwig's glare.

"What is going on?"

"This," Imogene pointed at the unknown house elf, "dirty little thief was trying to steal Little Master Hadrian's letter to Ms. Antoinette."

"Dobby is no thief!"

"You lie!" Imogene cried and then rounded on the now named Dobby and smacked him on the shoulder. "Thief. You are a thief!"

Hadrian blinked at the abrupt violence. He didn't know Imogene had it in her. "Stop," he yelled when she looked ready to hit him again, though this time she looked to be aiming for the back of his head.

Imogene sniffed in irritation. "Fine," she muttered as she sent him a scalding look. She turned back to Dobby. "Why are you here? You are an uninvited elf. You know this, tell the truth now!"

Dobby squirmed like a little kid caught. He pulled at his ears and his already large eyes looked bigger when he peered up at Hadrian in supplication. "Dobby is sorry. Dobby must protect the Great Harry Potter."

Imogene huffed. "You thought to do this by being a thief and stealing my master's letters? Don't lie, thief!"

Dobby turned and snarled at Imogene. "Dobby is not a thief. Dobby says so. Stupid female should listen." Imogene gaze tightened and she looked prepared to rip into him, but the other elf continued talking, not giving Imogene a chance. "Dobby thought if Harry Potter did not get his letters, he would think he was unwanted and would not return to Hogwarts. Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts. It is not safe there. Bad things will happen if Harry Potter returns."

Hadrian simply blinked at him in response. For several seconds he couldn't form a reply. First and foremost, the elf, Dobby, was the reason why he didn't have any letters from Hermione and Ron. Well, that was a relief. It was nice to know that they weren't ignoring him or worse, decided he was too much of a freak to befriend. Second, bad things would happen to him if he returned to Hogwarts, but he loved Hogwarts. His friends were there, and he needed to learn magic. He wanted to be a great wizard like his father and his grandfather.

He spent most of his free time reading his father's diary, and wasn't that an eye opener about wizards and witches and the world he lived in. It seemed his father and his friends were the original Gryffindor pranksters long before George and Fred Weasely were born. It was amazing what his father and friends could do with charms, transfiguration and potions. Hadrian wanted to be just as awesome.

There was no way he was going to walk away from Hogwarts just because some elf told him danger lied in Hogwarts.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts."

His stern words broke through the argument Imogene and Dobby were having. Judging by the end of it Imogene was definitely winning. Good to know she was on his side.

Dobby seemed to shrink into himself and then straightened his spine. "Dobby is sorry, but he must do this to protect the Great Harry Potter."  
He snapped his fingers. Imogene snapped hers not a moment later. "You dare to do magic in my household!" she shrieked. Dobby cowered.

She snapped her fingers again and his wrists were bound with rope. She strode up to the tied up elf and peered at him imperiously. "Who is your master elf?"

Dobby didn't reply. Instead the house elf mutinously lifted his head in defiance. He was a brave little bugger.

She turned to him. "Little Master Hadrian must demand that the little thief bring all of his letters. You must demand them right now. I will handle this...elf."

Hadrian almost felt sorry for him. Imogene was going to tear him into pieces. Right. His letters. He wasn't feeling so sorry. Hadrian gave the orders and watched as the elf shivered and jerked in the ropes. He speared a glance at Imogene. She shrugged. He looked back at the elf to catch him going lax in the ropes. Hadrian opened his mouth to ask if Dobby was fine when a torrential down-pouring of letters fell into the room. He was knocked off his feet and unto his bum. A box landed heavily just where he'd been standing. He stared at it and the pile of letters that filled his bedroom. "What the..."

There was a gust of air and suddenly a quarter of the letters were gone and corner of the room was cleared. Imogene stood in the middle of the clean area, Dobby was still bound, but now he lay at her feet. "Dobby has brought the Great Harry Potter all his mail. May Dobby be released now?"

Imogene glared darkly at the elf before looking at Hadrian in question. He couldn't have gotten all this mail this summer could he? He shrugged. Now that he had his mail there was no reason to keep the house elf. "Uh, Imogene?"

"Yes, I will deal with this." With a pop both elves were gone. Hadrian shivered. The look on Imogene's face before she disappeared promised bad things for Dobby. Very bad things.

Hadrian picked up a letter and tore it open. It was from 1982. "Wow, so this really is all my mail." He paused and looked around the room. "Cool."

* * *

Review Responses:

Guest - "Power Behind the Throne" - Yes! Oh, yes!

Redstickbonbon - Madam Malkin was upset because Hadrian needed the special. I see her as one of those 'blind until its pointed out characters' that define the wizarding world. She didn't even notice he was abused. Then to be shown he needed the Twist Special pissed her off. Also, Hadrian can't be easily emancipated in the muggle world since Petunia is his guardian there. He would have to fight her guardianship. Theodore is an "orphan" without any family (according to muggle records) so he got away with it.

Lord Geovanni/Natwest: Glad, you liked how I made Lily the irresponsible person. I actually based her personally on me. When I first started working I bought way too much jewelry. My brother is a sneakerhead and I'm a fien' for big gems.

Draco volans: Petunia owes Hadrian 11,000 galleons or 111,000 pounds in normal money.

Thanks to all the people who replied and said they liked Antoinette, Theodore, and Hadrian. You keep reviewing and I'll keep writing.

Let me just say I'm so pleased with the love shown to Antoinette. I love her and I can't wait until you guys see more of her. I really do need to get on the writing. I promise I am working on L&S in between working on Warmth, Breeding Edict, and my original fiction.

Now, tell me what you think about Imogene? I'm pretty sure the scene with Dobby, Imogene and Hadrian is a result of too many stories where Harry has elves and yet, Dobby is allowed to wreck all kinds of damage the summer before second year. I don't have pets (I'm not a pet person), but I do know from watching family and friends' canines, that a dog will immediately notice when another dog is on his/her property. The scene comes from there. Does that make sense?


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